Research on the Gradual Process of the Metallization Structures and Mechanical Properties of Wood Veneer

In order to improve the mechanical properties of the wood surface and explore the mechanical effect of wood veneer surface metallization, the 31-year-old Pinus sylvestris is taken as the research object and Cu is deposited on the wood surface by magnetron sputtering to achieve wood veneer metallization. Based on X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nanoindentation, a research on the gradual process of the structures and mechanical properties of wood veneer metallization was carried out. The results indicate that wood veneer metallization does not affect the crystallization zone of wood, there are still wood cellulose characteristic peaks and the crystalline structure of the wood cellulose is not damaged; the thickness of the copper thin film increases with the increase of the deposition time, the cellulose characteristic peak strength gradually decrease, and the relative crystallinity also decreases; the characteristic diffraction peaks of Cu (111), Cu (200), and Cu (220) appear near the diffraction angle 2θ which is equal to 43.3◦, 50.4◦, and 74.1◦, and the diffraction peak intensity increases with increase of deposition time, the copper film of the metal wood veneer crystallizes well; the load–displacement of wood veneer decreases significantly with the increase of deposition time, while the moduli of elasticity and hardness increase rapidly. The load–displacement of the samples which were coated for 15 min decreased by 80%, while the moduli of elasticity and hardness of these samples increased by 24.1 times and 17.3 times, respectively. From the results of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) measurement of the metallization of wood veneer, it can be seen that the uniform and continuous copper film can be formed on the wood veneer surface by using the magnetron sputtering method. This paper provides a basis for wood veneer surface metallization, which is of great significance for the functional improvement of wood, the expansion of wood application fields, and the enhancement of added value.