Development of Highly Repellent Silica Particles for Protection of Hemp Shiv Used as Insulation Materials
1
National Structure Integrity Research Centre, Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6AL, UK
2
School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FB, UK
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TWI Ltd., Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge CB21 6AL, UK
4
Advanced Resins and Coatings Technologies Innovation Centre, School of Engineering, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Materials 2018, 11(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11010004
Received: 1 December 2017 / Revised: 15 December 2017 / Accepted: 19 December 2017 / Published: 21 December 2017
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Latest Nanotechnology Research Output 2017—Select papers from Applied Nanotechnology and Nanoscience International Conference—ANNIC 2017)
New bio-materials have recently gained interest for use in insulation panels in walls, but wider adoption by the building industry is hindered by their intrinsic properties. The fact that such materials are mainly composed of cellulose makes them combustible, and their hydrophilic surface presents a high water uptake, which would lead to faster biodegradation. A hydrophobic treatment with silica particles was successfully synthesised via Stöber process, characterised, and deposited on hemp shiv. The surface of hemp shiv coated several times with 45 and 120 nm particles were uniformly covered, as well as extensively water repellent. Those samples could withstand in humidity chamber without loss of their hydrophobic property and no sign of mould growth after 72 h of exposure.
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Keywords:
hemp shiv; insulation; hydrophobicity; silica particles; stöber process
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MDPI and ACS Style
Bourebrab, M.A.; Durand, G.G.; Taylor, A. Development of Highly Repellent Silica Particles for Protection of Hemp Shiv Used as Insulation Materials. Materials 2018, 11, 4.
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