Dimensional stability proves to be an important factor affecting the quality of wooden products. As a sort of crude and thermoplastic resin, shellac excreted by lac insects demonstrates water-repellent and environmental-friendly features. The research impregnated shellac with wood at room temperature and with a vacuum-pressure procedure. Efforts were made to examine how shellac treatment affected the dimensional stability, moisture absorption, chemical structure, thermostability, as well as morphological characteristics of wood. Results indicated that shellac treatment was a type of efficient solution useful in the enhancement of the dimensional stability of wood. Shellac solution had good permeability in the wood, and the weight percentage gain reached 13.01% after impregnation. The swelling coefficients of treated wood in the tangential and radial directions decreased by 20.13% and 24.12%, respectively, indicating that impregnation could improve wood dimensional stability. The moisture absorption of shellac-treated wood was reduced by 38.15% under 20 °C and 65% relative humidity. Moreover, shellac treatment significantly modified wood structure, although there were no drastic changes in the spectra. Specimens for shellac treatment ran across two decomposition peaks at 350 and 390 °C, and specimens in the control group saw one more common derivative thermogravimetric curve when the sharp peak approached 355 °C. After impregnation of shellac into wood, the shellac blocked pits and hardened on the intrinsic layer of the wood for fear of hygroscopicity. The practice was applicable to a variety of wood products, such as buildings, furniture, and landscape architecture.

Gold leaf samples of different purities were corroded in a SO2 atmosphere at three different relative humidities (30%, 60%, 90%) at ambient temperature, and the effects on color, gloss, and morphology were studied. Results showed that a corrosion rate of 0.0898 g/cm2 could be attained after 6 weeks at high humidity. Color changes also occurred during the gold leaf corrosion process, and many thin pits formed on the surfaces, as shown by SEM. EDX results showed that these pits contained C, O, and S compounds. By comparing the results of different gold purity samples and different relative humidity conditions, it could be concluded that both gold content and humidity play an important role in SO2 atmosphere corrosion. These conclusions are helpful for the conservation of gold leaf decorative cultural relics.

Inthis work, linseed oil was impregnated into the wood at room temperature, under vacuum pressure. The properties of linseed oil-treated wood, including dimensional stability, wood moisture absorption, chemical structure, thermostability, and morphological characteristics, were evaluated. Linseed oil displayed good permeability in Ailanthuswood, with weight gains of 30.95% after impregnation. The swelling coefficients of treated woodin the tangential and radial directions decreased by 25.97 to 33.33%, indicating that impregnation improved the dimensional stability of wood.Moreover, linseed oil treatment significantly modified the wood structure, although the FTIR spectra generally remained unchanged. Observation by scanning electron microscopy showed, that linseed oil impregnated into the wood and occluded pits, thereby prevented moisture absorption. This technique can be used in a variety of wood products, such as buildings, furniture, and landscape architecture.