A novel method for high-resolution imaging of coating distribution within a rough-textured plywood surface

A new method was developed which enabled us to obtain high-resolution images of the distribution of an oil-borne stain in a saw-textured plywood surface. The method involved treating 90 μm thick plywood sections, which had been cut transversely through the wood-coating interface using a sliding microtome, with osmium tetroxide (OsO₄) prior to examination with a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) operating in backscattered electron imaging (BEI) mode. The combination of OsO₄ staining and use of FE-SEM-BEI afforded excellent contrast differentiation between the coating and wood cell walls, revealing coating penetration into even nano-size cell wall cracks and delaminations formed during band-sawing of the plywood. The novel technique described adds a new dimension to probing wood–coating interface.