The Influence of Saturated Steam on Moso Bamboo Quasi-static Micromechanical Properties: Nano-Scale Evaluation

Abstract In this paper, in order to analyze the quasi-static properties of Moso bamboo, a new, environmentally friendly and eco-friendly method was used for bamboo thermal modification under the effect of saturated steam. Under saturated steam heat treatment, the chemical composition in bamboo decreased, and the bamboo cell wall shrunk slightly. The increased crystallinity index of cellulose and decreased intensity of peaks belong to hemicellulose were confirmed by XRD and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In addition, the highest modulus of elastic and hardness of treated bamboo were 22.5GPa and 1.1GPa at 180℃/10 min. These conclusions confirmed the micro-mechanical properties of the bamboo cell wall were enhanced by saturated steam heat treatment. The E'r of differently treated bamboo increased with increasing temperature and time, while the E''r and tan δ negatively as a function of increasing frequency. Furthermore, this thermal modification can be regarded as a useful, environmental-friendly and eco-friendly treatment to outdoor use of bamboo-based materials.