Timbers used in a marine environment are generally treated chemically to prevent attack by marine borers. These techniques suffer from partial success and offer environmental hazards. A novel composite material is proposed which promises to significantly advance the state of the art for protecting wooden structures from the ravages of marine borers, as well as fouling organisms in general. The new system will provide for a significantly strengthened covalent bonding between the cellulosic wooden substrate and a tough, polymeric protectant layer. The proposed technology is also attractive since it involves only environmentally compatible components, and will be easy to apply.
