Beeswax was modified through the direct blending of nano-TiO₂, chitosan, acid dyes, and neutral dyes. With the varied modified beeswax, hot waxing was conducted on compressed poplar wood. Treated wood surfaces were characterized with scanning electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Results show that the C, O, N, Au, S, and Ti elements in modified beeswax successfully penetrated into pits of compressed poplar wood, imparting rich colors to the wood surface. The blending of 10% (mass fraction) beeswax, 0.2% chitosan, and 0.05% neutral red was the best treatment for mulation for improving the in-surface staining uniformity, durability, surface gloss, contact angle, and texture conspicuity of compressed poplar.
Keywords: beeswax; chitosan; dye; hot waxing; nano-TiO2; surface properties of compressed wood.