Techniques and products are described for coloring acetylated wood products. An acetylated wood product can be impregnated by a coloring medium within a chamber and the colorant or colorants contained within the coloring medium can be fixed to the acetylated wood product by the application of heat or by application of radio frequency radiation to color any external surface or interior region of the acetylated wood product which has been impregnated by the coloring medium.

A flexible structure is formed by subjecting cellulose-based natural wood material to a chemical treatment that partially removes hemicellulose and lignin therefrom. The treated wood has a unique 3-D porous structure with numerous channels, excellent biodegradability and biocompatibility, and improved flexibility as compared to the natural wood. By further modifying the treated wood, the structure can be adapted to particular applications. For example, nanoparticles, nanowires, carbon nanotubes, or any other coating or material can be added to the treated wood to form a hybrid structure. In some embodiments, open lumina within the structure can be at least partially filled with a non-wood substance, such as a flexible polymer, or with entangled cellulose nanofibers. The unique architecture and superior properties of the flexible wood allow for its use in various applications, such as, but not limited to, structural materials, solar thermal devices, flexible electronics, tissue engineering, thermal management, and energy storage.

The invention relates to cation borate present in powder form, with a small grain size and low water solubility. The cation borate present in powder form and a suspension produced therefrom are suitable for example for the treatment of coating materials (such as wood preservatives), in particular fungicidal, biocidal and insecticidal treatment.

Disclosed are novel metallic nanoparticles coated with a thin protective carbon shell, and three-dimensional nano-metallic sponges; methods of preparation of the nanoparticles; and uses for these novel materials, including wood preservation, strengthening of polymer and fiber/polymer building materials, and catalysis.

The invention relates to aqueous fungicidal active substance compositions and to their use in the control of harmful microorganisms and in particular in the protection of cellulose-comprising materials, particularly wood, from infection by microorganisms, in particular those harmful fungi which can damage wood or cellulose.

The active substance composition according to the invention comprises: a) at least one fungicidal organic active substance with a solubility in water of not more than 5 g/l at 25 C./1013 mbar, and b) a finely-divided polymer with an average particle size, determined by dynamic light scattering, of not more than 300 nm, in which the polymer particles comprise the active substance, the polymer being formed from ethylenically unsaturated monomers M comprising: at least 60% by weight, based on the total amount of the monomers M, of at least one neutral monoethylenically unsaturated monomer M1 with a solubility in water of not more than 30 g/l at 25 C., and up to 40% by weight, based on the total amount of the monomers M, of one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers M2 other than the monomers M1.

We disclose novel metallic nanoparticles coated with a thin protective carbon shell, and three-dimensional nano-metallic sponges; methods of preparation of the nanoparticles; and uses for these novel materials, including wood preservation, strengthening of polymer and fiber/polymer building materials, and catalysis.

A synergistic aqueous wood preservative composition comprising a copper compound and penflufen. The copper compounds of the compositions of the invention may be soluble, partially solubilized or micronized particles. The penflufen of the compositions of the invention may be solubilized, emulsified or particulate. The wood preservative compositions of the present invention are surprisingly provided as stable dispersions and confer surprising and unexpected resistance to treated wood and wood products.