XPS and FTIR Applied to the Study of Waterborne Copper Naphthenate Wood Preservatives

In this study the chemical interaction between waterborne copper naphthenate and wood surface was studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) and elemental analysis were used to determine the copper, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen content of treated and untreated samples. XPS spectra clearly indicated that copper in treating solution and in the treated wood was Cu(II). FTIR analysis revealed that the carboxylic and/or carbonyl groups of wood interact with copper from the treating solution to form a complex through ligand exchange reactions.