Pickering emulsions (emulsions stabilized by solid particles) are attractive as they have strong similarities with traditional surfactant-stabilized emulsions. In this study, an oil-in-water (O/W) paraffin Pickering emulsion system with satisfying stability and small droplet size distribution was developed by hydrophilic silica particles and traditional surfactants as mixed emulsifiers. The droplet morphology and size distribution were observed by optical microscopy and laser particle analyzer. The emulsion stability was improved and the droplet size was reduced after addition of suitable amount of silica particles. The silica concentration of 1% showed the optimal effect among all levels observed (0.1, 0.5, 1, and 2%). Wood was impregnated with the prepared emulsion, and the hydrophobicity, thermal and mechanical properties were tested. The silica was evenly distributed in wood cell wall and thus there is a synergistic positive effect from the paraffin and silica in the cell wall leading to better hydrophobicity, improved surface hardness and mechanical properties including the thermal stability.

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