Facile preparation of functionalized poly(amidoamine)s with biocidal activity on wood substrates

Linear poly(amidoamine)s (PAAs), functionalized in the main chain with hydroxyl and/or siloxane groups, were obtained by single step addition of primary amines (ethanolamine, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane) to N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide, in water or low molecular weight alcohols, without catalysts. The polymers were characterized by FTIR, Raman, 1H and 13C NMR, CP-MAS NMR and ESI-MS. The coordination ability of PAAs towards Cu2+ in water was confirmed by the Job's plot method. The PAAs alone and added with Cu2+ ions or Ag-nanoparticles were applied on wood as preservatives for fungi and insects. The siloxane hybrid formulations applied on wood are effective against C. puteana and T. versicolor fungi, even after a leaching procedure, in particular with copper addition. The PAA functionalized with OH groups are effective as wood preservatives before the leaching procedure, in particular with Ag addition. All the formulations give good results against wood-boring beetles T. holosericeus and H. bajulus (Cerambicidae species).