Wood Modification: Functionalisation, Optimisation and Characterisation of Modified Timbers
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 682
Special Issue Editors
Interests: wood chemistry; wood decay; wood modification; wood protection; viscoelasticity; macromolecular effects in the cell wall; wood anatomy; mechanical properties; fluid flow
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: wood modification; wood structure and properties; hygroscopic properties; nanotechnology; durability; biopolymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Wood modification techniques such as thermal modification, acetylation, and furfurylation have been well studied and their products are commercially available. Many other modification systems for wood that utilize resins, bio-based chemicals, biopolymers, and novel combinations of heat, pressure, steam, or other active components remain under development. Further developments have employed aspects of wood modification to achieve functionalised surfaces for a wide range of innovative applications.
The majority of wood modification systems seek to enhance dimensional stability, while many also extend the service life of wood and provide durability and resistance to fungal decay, weathering, or insect and marine borer attacks. It is also possible to use modification to alter mechanical properties, fatigue, impact resistance or other aspects such as abrasion, wear resistance and hardness. Other options include combinations of chemical modification techniques in multi-step treatments or in combination with nanotechnology approaches.
In recent years, innovation in wood modification has focused on three main aspects: combining modifications to increase the range of benefits offered; seeking bio-based or green chemistry modifications; and introducing nanotechnologies to provide innovative functional materials. Another concern is reducing the embodied carbon of the modification processes to retain wood’s excellent credentials as an environmentally benign material. Papers that address all these aspects are welcome in this Special Issue of Forests.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Thermal modification;
- Chemical modification;
- Passive chemical modification;
- Bio-based polymers, resins, and reagents for modification;
- Novel combined modification systems;
- Nanotechnology in wood modifications;
- Sustainability in wood modification;
- Service life and durability of modified wood;
- Properties of modified wood.
Dr. Morwenna Spear
Dr. Miklós Bak
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- wood modification
- thermal modification
- chemical modification
- impregnation
- hygroscopic properties
- mechanical properties
- surface properties
- service life
- durability
- sustainability
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