Work Group: Prof. Dr. Gisela Ohms, Analytical Chemistry

Due to its poor weather resistance, the outdoor use of native wood is limited. The aim of this project is the plasma-assisted deposition of protective coatings, to obtain more weather resistant wood surfaces.
Certain metal oxides are known for their protective effect against e. g. degradation by UV-light or wood-staining fungi (e. g. ZnO). Hence, wood will be coated by plasma-assisted particle deposition of these metal oxides. In addition, the water uptake is intended to be decreased, since water is an essential prerequisite for fungi and bacteria growth as well as for the leaching of lignin degraded by UV-light. In this context, hydrophobic thin films will be deposited by means of plasma polymerisation.