Use of organosolv lignin in phenol-formaldehyde resins for particleboard production: II. Particleboard production and properties

The objective of this work was to demonstrate the utility of lignin-based resins designed for application as an adhesive in the production of particleboard. Bond qualities of lignin-phenol-formaldehyde resins, phenolated-lignin-formaldehyde resins and commercial phenol-formaldehyde (PF-com) resin were assessed by using an automatic bonding evaluation system, prior to production of particleboards. In order to evaluate the quality of lignin-based resins, particleboards were produced and physical and mechanical properties were investigated. These physical properties included internal bond, modules of rupture and modulus of elasticity. Thickness swell and water absorption properties of particleboards bonded with lignin-based resins were also determined. The lignin-based resins have been reported previously in Part I of this study. The results showed that particleboards bonded with phenolated-lignin formaldehyde resins (up to 30% lignin content) exhibited similar physical and mechanical properties when compared to particleboards bonded with PF-com. The work has indicated that phenolated-lignin formaldehyde resins (up to 30% substitution level) can be used successfully as a wood adhesive for constructing particleboard. The performance of these panels is comparable to those of boards made using PF-com resin.     

Modification of phenol–formaldehyde resol resins by lignin,starch, and urea

Lignin‐based chemicals, starch, and urea were used as modifiers for phenol–formaldehyde resol resins. The effects of the addition stage of the modifiers used in the synthesis of the resins and the type of modification reagent on the structures of the resins and their molar masses and reactivities were investigated. The modifications with corn starch and lignin promoted condensation; this was verified by increased molar masses and high ratios of methylene bridges to the sum of free ortho and para aromatic groups with respect to the corresponding reference resin without a modification reagent. The later the modifier was added to the resin condensation mixture, the more methylene bridges were formed with respect to the amounts of free ortho and para aromatic groups. In addition, when urea or wheat starch was added in the later condensation stage, the final condensation also reached high stages. The modifications with lignosulfonate and starch, as well as the early addition of urea, enhanced p–p′ bridge structures. The lowest condensation stage and, therefore, the highest reactivity were found when wheat starch was added with the starting reagents. The curing heat of the wheat‐starch‐modified resins decreased according to the deferred addition point of starch. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 582–588, 2003     

Time–temperature–transformation cure diagrams of phenol–formaldehyde and lignin–phenol–formaldehyde novolac resins

In this study, the time–temperature– transformation (TTT) cure diagrams of the curing processes of several novolac resins were determined. Each diagram corresponded to a mixture of commercial phenol–formaldehyde novolac, lignin–phenol–formaldehyde novolac, and methylolated lignin–phenol–formaldehyde novolac resins with hexamethylenetetramine as a curing agent. Thermomechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry techniques were applied to study the resin gelation and the kinetics of the curing process to obtain the isoconversional curves. The temperature at which the material gelled and vitrified [the glass‐transition temperature at the gel point (_gelT_g)], the glass‐transition temperature of the uncured material (without crosslinking; T_g0), and the glass‐transition temperature with full crosslinking were also obtained. On the basis of the measured of conversion degree at gelation, the approximate glass‐transition temperature/conversion relationship, and the thermokinetic results of the curing process of the resins, TTT cure diagrams of the novolac samples were constructed. The TTT diagrams showed that the lignin–novolac and methylolated lignin–novolac resins presented lower T_g0 and _gelT_g values than the commercial resin. The TTT diagram is a suitable tool for understanding novolac resin behavior during the isothermal curing process. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Resorcinol in high solid phenol−formaldehyde resins for foams production

The acid curing agent content and foaming temperature could be reduced by improving the resol reactivity. In this study, highly active and solid phenol?resorcinol?formaldehyde copolymer resins (PRFRs) with different resorcinol/phenol (R /P ) molar ratios and formaldehyde/(phenol + resorcinol) [F /(P + R )] molar ratios were synthesized through the copolymerization of resorcinol, formaldehyde, and phenol. Phenol?resorcinol?formaldehyde foams (PRFFs) were prepared with synthetic PRFRs. The results showed that PRFR‐2 exhibited higher reactivity, faster curing speed, and better thermal stability. In addition, the foam produced with the PRFR‐2 had improved mechanical and flame retardation properties and a compressive strength of 0.18 MPa, a flexural strength of 0.25 MPa, and a limited oxygen index (LOI) greater than 37%. The increased reactivity of the PRFRs correlated with the changing mechanical properties of PRFFs because of the effects of resorcinol and the molar ratio of formaldehyde to phenol and resorcinol. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44881.     

Cure kinetics of aqueous phenol–formaldehyde resins used for oriented strandboard manufacturing: Analytical technique

The cure kinetics of commercial phenol–formaldehyde (PF), used as oriented strandboard face and core resins, were studied using isothermal and dynamic differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The cure of the face resin completely followed an nth‐order reaction mechanism. The reaction order was nearly 1 with activation energy of 79.29 kJ mol^?1. The core resin showed a more complicated cure mechanism, including both nth‐order and autocatalytic reactions. The nth‐order part, with reaction order of 2.38, began at lower temperatures, but the reaction rate of the autocatalytic part increased much faster with increase in curing temperature. The total reaction order for the autocatalytic part was about 5. Cure kinetic models, for both face and core resins, were developed. It is shown that the models fitted experimental data well, and that the isothermal DSC was much more reliable than the dynamic DSC in studying the cure kinetics. Furthermore, the relationships among cure reaction conversion (curing degree), cure temperature, and cure time were predicted for both resin systems. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 1642–1650, 2006     

Influence of the synthesis conditions on the curing behavior of phenol–urea–formaldehyde resol resins

The curing behavior of synthesized phenol–urea–formaldehyde (PUF) resol resins with various formaldehyde/urea/phenol ratios was studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The results indicated that the synthesis parameters, including the urea content, formaldehyde/phenol ratio, and pH value, had a combined effect on the curing behavior. The pH value played an important role in affecting the shape of the DSC curing curves, the activation energy, and the reaction rate constant. Depending on the pH value, one or two peaks could appear in the DSC curve. The activation energy was lower when pH was below 11. The reaction rate constant increased with an increase in the pH value at both low and high temperatures. The urea content and formaldehyde/phenol ratio had no significant influence on the activation energy and rate constant. DMA showed that both the gel point and tan δ peak temperature (T_tanδ) had the lowest values in the mid‐pH range for the PUF resins. A different trend was observed for the phenol–formaldehyde resin without the urea component. Instead, the gel point and T_tanδ decreased monotonically with an increase in the pH value. For the PUF resins, a high urea content or a low formaldehyde/phenol ratio resulted in a high gel point. The effect of the urea content on T_tanδ was bigger than that on the gel point because of the reversible reaction associated with the urea component. Too much formaldehyde could lead to more reversible reactions and a higher T_tanδ value. The effects of the synthesis conditions on the rigidity of the cured network were complex for the PUF resins. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 1368–1375, 2005     

Phenol–formaldehyde‐type resins made from phenol‐liquefied wood for the bonding of particleboard

Liquefaction of southern pine wood in phenol in 30–40 : 70–60 weight ratios resulted in homogeneous liquefied materials, which were directly used to synthesize phenol–formaldehyde (PF)‐type resins. The synthesized resins showed good physical and handling properties: low viscosity, stability for storage and transportation, and resin applicable by a common sprayer. Particleboard panels bonded with the synthesized resins showed promising physical properties and significantly lower formaldehyde emission values than those bonded with the urea–formaldehyde resin control. One deficiency observed for the synthesized resins was lower internal bond values, which might be overcome the use of a hot‐stacking procedure. Overall, the process of wood liquefaction with limited amounts of phenol as a solvent was shown to have the potential of providing practical, low‐cost PF‐type resins with very low formaldehyde emission potentials. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Cure kinetics of aqueous phenol–formaldehyde resins used for oriented strandboard manufacturing: Effect of zinc borate

The effect of zinc borate (ZB) on the cure kinetics of commercial phenol–formaldehyde oriented strandboard adhesives was studied using differential scanning calorimetry. ZB caused a separation of the addition and condensation reactions for both face and core resin (CR) systems with lowered cure temperature for the addition reaction. For the face resin, ZB did not change its nth‐order curing mechanism, but retarded the whole cure reactions, and increased the reaction order and the activation energy. Compared with neat CR, the addition reaction of the CR/ZB mixture, which occurred at temperatures lower than 60°C, also followed an nth‐order reaction mechanism. The condensation reaction of the mixture was changed from an autocatalytic reaction to an nth‐order one with the reaction order of about 1. The proposed models fitted the experimental data well. Relationships among cure reaction conversion (i.e., cure degree), cure temperature, and cure time were predicted for various resin/ZB systems. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 3886–3894, 2006     

Use of NIR for structural characterization of urea–formaldehyde resins

In this paper, the effect of pH and temperature on the structure of urea–formaldehyde resins was studied. GPC, NMR and Raman measurements were performed to elucidate the structural characteristics of the resin systems. Fourier Transform Near Infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy via optical fibers was used to monitor the reaction progress in situ. It was found that the reactions of urea and formaldehyde at different temperatures and pH values result in resins with different structures and properties: Resins produced at high temperatures and acidic pH values exhibit higher degrees of condensation, presumably because of the development of more cross-linked structures.     

Syntheses and properties of low‐level melamine‐modified urea–melamine–formaldehyde resins

Syntheses of urea–melamine–formaldehyde (UMF) resins were studied using 2–12% melamine levels and UF base resins that were preadvanced to various different extents. The melamine reaction was carried out at pH 6.3 with F/(U + M) mole ratio of 2.1 until a target viscosity of V was reached (Gardener–Holdt) and then the second urea added at pH 8.0 to give a final F/(U + M) mole ratio of 1.15. Analyses with ¹³C‐NMR and viscosity measurements showed that MF components react fast and the UF components very slowly in the melamine reaction. Therefore, as the extent of preadvancement of UF base resin was decreased, the reaction time to reach the target viscosity became longer and the MF resin components showed high degrees of polymerization. The overpolymerization of MF components resulted in increasingly more opaque resins, with viscosity remaining stable for more than a month. As the preadvancement of UF base resin was increased, the extent of advancement of MF components decreased, to give clearer resins, with viscosity slowly increasing at room temperature. Overall, preadvancing the UF base resin components to an appropriate extent was found to be a key to synthesizing various low‐level melamine‐modified UMF resins. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 2559–2569, 2004     

Curing process of powdered phenol–formaldehyde resol resins and the role of water in the curing systems

The curing behavior of two kinds of commercial powdered resol phenolic resins was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. Liquid‐state ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy was used to aid in understanding the curing behavior by detecting the structure of powdered resins. The reaction mechanism was interpreted with the dependency of activation energy on the degree of conversion. The results indicate that there are differences in the curing mechanism between core and face phenolic resins. The curing process of core resin was faster than that of face resin at the same reaction temperature. The water added in the curing system played an important role of plasticizer or diluent according to different curing stages and water content. In the initial curing stage, water mainly diluted the system and retarded the curing reactions. However, at the higher degrees of conversion, water played the role of plasticizer to decrease the effect of diffusion on the curing reactions to make the curing reactions more complete. The excess water added in the curing system played the role of diluent at almost all stages during the curing process. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 1371–1378, 2003     

Comparison of model‐fitting kinetics for predicting the cure behavior of commercial phenol–formaldehyde resins

Phenol–formaldehyde (PF) resins have been the subject of many model‐fitting cure kinetic studies, yet the best model for predicting PF dynamic and isothermal cure has not been established. The objective of this research is to compare and contrast several commonly used kinetic models for predicting degree of cure and cure rate of PF resins. Toward this objective, the nth‐order Borchardt–Daniels (nth‐BD), ASTM E698 (E698), autocatalytic Borchardt–Daniels (Auto‐BD), and modified autocatalytic methods (M‐Auto) are evaluated on two commercial PF resins containing different molecular weight distributions and thus cure behaviors. The nth‐BD, E698, and M‐Auto methods all produce comparable values of activation energies, while Auto‐BD method yields aberrant values. For dynamic cure prediction, all models fail to predict reaction rate, while degree of cure is reasonably well predicted with all three methods. As a whole, the nth‐BD method best predicts degree of cure for both resins as assessed by mean squared error of prediction. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Curing of low level melamine‐modified urea‐formaldehyde particleboard binder resins studied with dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA)

Effects of resin formulation, catalyst, and curing temperature were studied for particleboard binder‐type urea‐formaldehyde (UF) and 6 ～ 12% melamine‐modified urea‐melamine‐formaldehyde (UMF) resins using the dynamic mechanical analysis method at 125 ～ 160°C. In general, the UF and UMF resins gelled and, after a relatively long low modulus period, rapidly vitrified. The gel times shortened as the catalyst level and resin mix time increased. The cure slope of the vitrification stage decreased as the catalyst mix time increased, perhaps because of the deleterious effects of polymer advancements incurred before curing. For UMF resins, the higher extent of polymerization effected for UF base resin in resin synthesis increased the cure slope of vitrification. The cure times taken to reach the vitrification were longer for UMF resins than UF resins and increased with increased melamine levels. The thermal stability and rigidity of cured UMF resins were higher than those of UF resins and also higher for resins with higher melamine levels, to indicate the possibility of bonding particleboard with improved bond strength and lower formaldehyde emission. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 377–389, 2005     

Cure kinetics of aqueous phenol‐formaldehyde resins used for oriented strandboard manufacturing: Effect of wood flour

The effect of wood flour on the cure kinetics of commercial phenol‐formaldehyde resins used as oriented strandboard face and core adhesives was studied using differential scanning calorimetry. The wood flour did not change the cure mechanism of the face resin, but lowered its cure temperature and activation energy and increased its cure reaction order. For the core resin (CR), the wood flour lowered the onset cure temperature, and caused separation of the addition and condensation reactions involved in curing of CR. Compared with neat CR, the addition reaction of CR/wood mixture also followed an nth‐order reaction mechanism but with a lower reaction order, while the condensation was changed from an autocatalytic reaction to an nth‐order one. The addition reaction happened at temperatures lower than 90°C, and the condensation reaction was dominant at temperatures higher than 110°C. The proposed models fitted the experimental data well. Relationships among cure reaction conversion (cure degree), cure temperature, and cure time were predicted. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102:3774–3781, 2006     

H2O2 as a modifier of phenol–formaldehyde resin used in the production of particleboards

The purpose of the research was to study the influence of H₂O₂ on the properties of fluid phenolic (PF) resin, the curing process, the cured resin structure, and the properties of the particleboards produced with its use. The influence of added H₂O₂ on resin usability at 20°C, on the gel time of the modified PF resin in the temperature range 110–140°C, and on the activation energy of the curing process were studied. Also, the structure of the cured resin was examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Finally, the properties of the obtained particleboards were determined. The results indicate that the H₂O₂ modification leads to greater reactivity of the phenolic resin and increases the mechanical properties of particleboards. In contrast, there is no significant influence of H₂O₂ on the water resistance of the particleboards. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 3084–3092, 2003     

Upgrading melamine–urea–formaldehyde polycondensation resins with buffering additives. I. The effect of hexamine sulfate and its limits

Iminoamino methylene base intermediates obtained by the decomposition of hexamethylenetetramine (hexamine) stabilized by the presence of strong anions such as SO and HSO, or hexamine sulfate, were shown to markedly improve the water and weather resistance of hardened melamine–urea–formaldehyde (MUF) resins used as wood adhesives and of the wet internal bond strength performance of wood boards bonded with them. The effect was shown to be induced by very small amounts, between 1 and 5 wt % of this material on resin solid content. This strong effect allowed the use of MUF resins of much lower melamine content and also provided good performance of the bonded joints. Because the main effect was also present at the smaller proportion of hexamine as hexamine sulfate, it was not due at all to any increase in the molar ratio of the resin as a consequence of hexamine sulfate addition. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 203–214, 2003     

Terpolymer resin–III: Synthesis and characterization of 8‐hydroxyquinoline–dithiooxamide–formaldehyde terpolymer resins

Terpolymer resins (8‐HQDF) were synthesized by the condensation of 8‐hydroxyquinoline (8‐HQ) and dithiooxamide (D) with formaldehyde (F) in the presence of acid catalyst and using varied molar ratios of reacting monomers. Terpolymer resins compositions have been determined on the basis of their elemental analysis and the number average molecular weights of these resins were determined by conductometric titration in non‐aqueous medium. Viscometric measurements in dimethyl formamide (DMF) have been carried out with a view to ascertain the characteristic functions and constants. The UV‐visible, FTIR, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H⁺ NMR) spectra were studied to elucidate the structure. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Preparation of cardanol–formaldehyde resins from cashew nut shell liquid for the reinforcement of natural rubber

Natural rubber was reinforced with a high loading of a cardanol–formaldehyde resin prepared from cashew nut shell liquid. Cardanol–formaldehyde resins, both resoles and novolaks, were synthesized from cardanol, which was extracted from cashew nut shells. This was done by the condensation polymerization of cardanol and formaldehyde in the presence of base and acid catalysts. The cardanol–formaldehyde resole with the highest yield (ca. 75%) was prepared with a formaldehyde/cardanol molar ratio of 2.0 at pH 8.0 and 90°C for 8 h. The cardanol–formaldehyde novolak with the highest yield (ca. 80%) was prepared with a formaldehyde/cardanol molar ratio of 0.8 at pH 2.2 and 100°C for 7 h. Fourier transform infrared and ¹³C‐NMR were employed to characterize the chemical structures of the obtained cardanol–formaldehyde resins. The resins were compatible with natural rubber in various formulations. The cured behaviors of natural rubber blended with the cardanol–formaldehyde resole and novolak resins were investigated. The cured behaviors of cardanol–formaldehyde resole and cardanol–formaldehyde novolak samples were different, reflecting differences in their chemical reactivities. Furthermore, the incorporation of cardanol–formaldehyde resins into natural rubber provided significant improvements in mechanical properties such as the hardness, tensile strength, modulus at 100 and 300% elongation, and abrasion resistance. However, the elongation at break and compression set of the blends decreased as expected. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 1997–2002, 2007     

Stability and spinnability of modified melamine–formaldehyde resin solution for centrifugal spinning

Melamine microfibers were first prepared by centrifugal spinning. The stability and spinnability of a melamine–formaldehyde (MF) resin solution were improved as expected by adding various modifier combinations. Considering the storage stability of solutions characterized by visual inspection, turbidity tests, and viscosity measurements and combined with the fiber morphology, the optimal modifier combination was obtained. The spun fibers manifested a good morphology and thermal stability as measured by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Moreover, microfibers prepared by three spinning methods (centrifugal spinning, electrospinning, and centrifugal electrostatic spinning) were compared to choose the suitable spinning method for different fields in the future. This work provides systematic and scientific guidance on the synthesis of MF resin solutions and rapid mass production of melamine microfibers and also demonstrates that centrifugal spinning of melamine microfiber is a promising candidate for flame retardance and CO₂ adsorption at elevated temperature. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46072.     

Synthesis of novolac‐type phenolic resins using glucose as the substitute for formaldehyde

Novel Novolac type phenolic resins were prepared using glucose as the substitute for toxic formaldehyde (a carcinogenic chemical). The resins were synthesized with varying molar ratios of phenol to glucose, catalyzed by strong acid (such as sulfuric acid) at 120–150°C. Analysis of the resins using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR) showed that they were broadly distributed oligomers derived from the Fridel‐Crafts condensation of phenol and glucose. Using hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) as the curing agent, the phenol‐glucose resins could be thermally cured and exhibited exothermic peaks at 130–180°C, typical of thermosetting phenolic resins. The cured resins showed satisfactory thermal stability, e.g., they started to decompose at >280°C with residual carbon yields of above 58% at 600°C. Based on the thermal properties, phenol‐glucose resin with a molar ratio of 1 : 0.5 is promising as it could be cured at a lower temperature (147°C) and exhibited a satisfactorily good thermal stability: it started to decompose at >300°C with a residual carbon yield of >64% at 600°C. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010