Preparation and performance of non‐toxic silica sol/melamine‐glyoxal composite dye modifier for staining fast‐growing poplar

Abstract

To address the poor mechanical strength and surface color of fast‐growing poplar wood, and to avoid the environmental hazards posed by formaldehyde emissions from resin‐based dyeing modifiers, a composite modifier was formulated in this study. This modifier was fabricated by blending silica sol/melamine glyoxal with three dyes and used for modifying poplar wood. A comprehensive investigation was conducted on the effects of pure dyes and resin‐based dyeing modifiers on the color parameters of poplar wood. The influence of three auxiliaries—NaCl, TiO ₂ and Na ₂ CO ₃ —on the ageing performance of modified poplar wood was analysed. Furthermore, the dyeing and ageing mechanisms of resin‐based dyeing modifiers were examined. The results showed that at a dye mass fraction of 1.0%, the dye uptake reached a maximum of 20.8%. Among the auxiliary additives tested, NaCl gave the best performance for dye retention under ultraviolet (UV) exposure. After 200 h of UV irradiation at 340 nm, the incorporation of resin enhanced the photostability of dyed poplar by 51% compared to the control group. Under the current UV‐ageing conditions, the addition of NaCl further reduced the color difference by 19% compared with SS/MG‐R18. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical guidance for developing non‐toxic resin‐based dyeing modifiers for modifying poplar wood.