Gross adhesive penetration in furfurylated, <Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-methylol melamine-modified and heat-treated wood examined by fluorescence microscopy

This study investigated the radial penetration of three conventional cold-set wood adhesives emulsion polymer isocyanate (EPI), poly (vinyl acetate) (PVAc), one-component polyurethane (PU)] into various degrees of furfurylated and N-methylol melamine-modified (NMM) Scots pine, and heat-treated Scots pine and beech based on measurements of effective (EP) and maximum penetration (MP) from microscopic observations. EP of EPI adhesive decreased after modification with higher concentration of furfuryl alcohol while an improved penetration was recorded for PVAc into furfurylated wood. A deeper penetration was observed for all adhesives into wood treated with lower concentration of furfuryl alcohol. The EP of EPI and PU adhesives reduced after NMM treatment but it increased in the case of PVAc. In spite of reduction of EP of PU after NMM treatment, it represented a deeper penetration among all adhesives possibly due to its lower molecular weight. For Scots pine, increasing the treatment temperature improved EP of all adhesives while for beech, the EP of PU and PVAc increased largely in the case of samples treated at 195 °C. Visual analysis of fluorescence microscopy pictures provided more detailed information on modality of penetration. The results are useful for understanding the interaction among common adhesives and modified materials, and can be used in future research to explain the bonding behavior of modified wood.