Congratulations to Maylis Carrère on her successful PhD defense!
Congratulations to Maylis Carrère, who successfully defended her PhD in Wood and Bio-based Materials Engineering on Tuesday, April 29, 2025! Her innovative research makes a significant contribution to the development of sustainable exterior wood coatings based on bio-based raw materials.
Supervised by Véronic Landry and co-supervised by Yvan Ecochard (MAPEI Canada), her thesis focused on designing protective coatings incorporating monoterpenes derived from forest by-products. These coatings aim to protect wood from UV radiation, moisture, and fungal attacks, while replacing petrochemical components with more sustainable alternatives. The formulations developed showed strong aging resistance and performance comparable to conventional coatings. A major step toward greener chemistry and enhanced valorization of forest biomass!
Well done, Maylis! This achievement marks a key milestone in a promising career already rich in accomplishments and inspiring contributions to the fields of sustainable materials.
Thank you to the NSERC Industrial Research Chair on Eco-Responsible Wood Construction (CIRCERB), its industrial partners, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for their commitment and valuable support.
The members of the examination committee were:
- Chair: Alain Cloutier – Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics, Université Laval
- Supervisor: Véronic Landry – Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics, Université Laval
- Co-supervisor: Yvan Ecochard – MAPEI Canada
- Internal examiner (UL): Anna Ritcey – Faculty of Science and Engineering, Université Laval
- External examiner (non-UL): Nicolas Auclair – Cégep de Rimouski
- External examiner: Philip D. Evans – University of British Columbia
Title:Â Development of exterior wood coatings from bio-based raw materials
Abstract: Wood is a natural material valued in construction for its thermal and insulating properties. However, its durability in outdoor environments must be ensured to enhance its role in carbon storage. Preservation treatments and the application of protective coatings are essential to extend its service life while meeting health and environmental standards. When exposed to weathering, wood undergoes degradation due to UV radiation, moisture, and fungal attack. UV rays affect its color and dimensional stability, moisture causes swelling, cracking, and loss of mechanical properties, and fungi further accelerate deterioration through increased permeability and surface staining. Surface coatings provide an effective means of protection. Water-based coatings produced by emulsion polymerization are preferred for their low environmental impact, although they still depend on petrochemical-based components. Incorporating bio-based raw materials such as terpenes derived from forest by-products offers a promising alternative due to their antifungal and antimicrobial properties. This project aimed to develop an exterior wood coating from functionalized monoterpenes. Three main research axes were pursued: the synthesis of latex by miniemulsion polymerization, the optimization of an industry-compatible process, and the formulation of coatings tested under accelerated weathering and fungal exposure. Results show that the bio-based monomers are successfully integrated into the polymer films, which exhibit performance comparable to petrochemical benchmarks. These coatings therefore represent a sustainable alternative for exterior wood protection.