Ag nanoparticles supported on MgAl-LDH decorated wood veneer with enhanced flame retardancy, water repellency and antimicrobial activity

Abstract Wood is an important and ubiquitous material applied in building and decorative applications, but it is easily invaded by fire, water and microorganisms. In this study, a new Ag nanoparticles supported on MgAl-LDH decorated wood veneer is successfully developed via simple hydrothermal reaction and silver mirror reaction. This unique wood veneer shows excellent flame retardancy under a continuous open flame, and super water repellency with a large water contact angle of 156°. In addition, the wood veneer has admirable antimicrobial activity (e.g. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli). This paper presents a novel route of synthesizing a well-designed wood based composite with enhanced flame retardancy, water repellency and antimicrobial activity, which greatly broadens the application range of wood.