When applying wood preservatives, there are always losses due to the tools used (e.g. brushes or cloths). Furthermore, inexperienced users often have the problem that uneven application leads to unsightly stains. The use of organogels could solve both challenges. In this work, sorbitol-based gelators were used to gel various liquid organic protective agents (in particular linseed oil and furniture wax oil) to produce a quasi-solid version. The properties of the gels were analysed rheologically, whereby it was found that at deformations between 1% - 4% the top layer of the gel structure breaks down and the protective agent is released. After coating beech wood, the transferred mass was determined and the protective layer was analyzed. The method saves over 20% protective agent, without taking tool losses into account. Practial coating layers were found which did not differ in their performance to those from ungelled materials.
Leven et al. (2026) studied this question.