Bamboo, a natural material, has been widely used in the fields of decoration, architecture and furniture. However, bamboo is easy to mildew and lose its use value. In this paper, the inhibition mechanism and antibacterial activity of a natural antibacterial agent citral on bamboo mould and its anti-mildew effect on bamboo were studied. The results showed that citral could change the shape of mycelium, destroy the integrity of mycelium structure, cell wall and cell membrane structure, thereby causing leakage of nucleic acids, proteins and other substances in the cell, as well as destroy the pH balance of the inside and outside of the cell, to inhibit or kill mould. When the concentration of citral is 100 mg ml ⁻¹ , the antibacterial rates of citral against Penicillium citrinum (PC), Trichoderma viride (TV), Aspergillus niger (AN) and a hybrid fungi group comprising PC, TV and AN (Hun) were more than 100%. However, compared with the direct effect of citral on mould, the antibacterial property of bamboo treated with citral was significantly reduced, the mildew proof effect can be achieved only if the concentration of citral to treat bamboo is increased to more than twice the concentration of citral directly acting on mould.

Preparation and Characterization of Aldehyde-Functionalized Cellulosic Fibers through Periodate Oxidization of Bamboo Pulp

In recent years, bamboo has been widely used for building materials and household goods. However, bamboo is flammable, so a flame-retardant treatment for bamboo is urgently needed. In this work, nano MgAl-layered double hydroxide (MgAl-LDH) coated on bamboo, which was called MgAl-LB, was synthesized by an in situ one-step method. To determine the optimal in situ time, the effects of different reaction times on LDH growth on the bamboo surface and the flame retardancy of the MgAl-LBs were investigated. The SEM observations show that LDH growth on the surface of bamboo was basically saturated when the in situ reaction time was 24 h. Abrasion experiments show that MgAl-LDH coating has good abrasion resistance. The fire performance of the MgAl-LBs was evaluated by cone calorimeter tests, which indicated that the THR and TSP of the MgAl-LBs were significantly lower than those of untreated bamboo. Taking into account the energy consumption problem, determining the reaction time of 24 h is the optimal reaction time. Compared with untreated bamboo, the THR and TSP of MgAl-LB prepared at 24 h decreased by 33.3% and 88.9%, respectively.