Influence of nanoclay on urea–glyoxalated lignin–formaldehyde resins for wood adhesive

In this research, the influence of nanoclay on urea–glyoxalated lignin–formaldehyde (GLUF) resin properties has been investigated. To prepare the GLUF resin, glyoxalated soda baggase lignin (15 wt%) was added as an alternative for the second urea during the UF resin synthesis. The prepared GLUF resin was mixed with the 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% nanoclay by mechanically stirring for 5 min at room temperature. The physicochemical properties of the prepared resins were measured according to standard methods. Then the resins were used in particleboard production and the physical and mechanical properties of the manufactured panels were determined. Finally, from the results obtained, the best prepared resin was selected and its properties were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Generally the results indicated that the addition of sodium-montmorillonite (NaMMT) up to 1.5% appears to improve the performance of GLUF resins in particleboards. The results also showed that nanoclays improved mechanical strength (modulus of elasticity (MOE), Modulus of Rupture (MOR), and internal bond (IB) strength) of the panels bonded with GLUF resins. The panels containing GLUF resin and nanoclay yielded lower formaldehyde emission as well as water absorption content than those made from the neat GLUF resins. XRD characterization indicated that NaMMT only intercalated when mixed with GLUF resin. Based on DSC results, the addition of NaMMT could accelerate the curing of GLUF resins. The enthalpy of the cure reaction (ΔH) of GLUF resin containing NaMMT was increased compared with neat GLUF resin. Also the results of FTIR analysis indicated that addition of NaMMT change the GLUF resins structures.     

Properties of plywood panels bonded with ionic liquid-modified lignin–phenol–formaldehyde resin

The aim of this research was to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of plywood panels bonded with ionic liquid-modified lignin–phenol–formaldehyde (LPF) resin. For this purpose, soda bagasse lignin was modified by 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([Emim][OAc]) ionic liquid, and then, various contents of modified lignins (10, 15, and 20 wt%) were added as a substitute of phenol in phenol–formaldehyde (PF) resin synthesis. The properties of the synthesized resin were compared with those of a control PF resin. The changes in curing behavior of the resins prepared were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The physical properties of the resins prepared, as well as the water absorption, thickness swelling, shear strength, and formaldehyde emission of the plywood panels bonded with these adhesives, were measured according to standard methods. DSC analysis indicated that in comparison with PF resins, curing of the LPF resin occurred at lower temperatures. The physical properties of the synthesized resins indicated that viscosity and solid content increased, while gel time and density decreased by addition of treated lignin to the PF resin. Although the panels containing resins with modified lignin yielded low formaldehyde emission, their dimensional stability was worse than those bonded with a commercial PF adhesive. The plywood prepared using IL-treated lignin PF resins has shear strength, which satisfy the requirements of the relevant standards specifications and significantly better than that of panels prepared with the control PF resin. The mechanical properties of the panels could be significantly enhanced with increased percentage of treated lignin content from 0 to 20 wt%.     

The effect of the heat treatment of spruce wood on the curing of melamine–urea–formaldehyde and polyurethane adhesives

The effect of the heat treatment of spruce wood on the curing of melamine–urea–formaldehyde (MUF) and polyurethane (PUR) adhesives was monitored by measuring their rheological properties by means of a rheometer. Instead of the standard aluminium discs, wooden discs, made from heat-treated wood with different degrees of thermal modification and conditioned in different climates, were used. The wooden discs provided more realistic curing of the adhesives compared to the real-life bonding of wood, because of solvent absorption. The results of the rheological measurements suggested that the modified wood inhibited the curing of MUF and PUR adhesives. The curing of the MUF adhesive was slower because of the reduced absorption of water from the adhesive. The curing of the one-component PUR adhesive was affected by the lower moisture content (MC) of the modified wood.     

Formaldehyde emissions from particle board made with phenol–urea–formaldehyde resin prepared by different synthesis methods

This paper suggests the optimum NAF resin preparation to reduce the quantity of pollutant emissions from the particle boards by using PUF resin. The pollutant emissions performance of the prepared NAF resin was evaluated by comparison with eMDI resin. Each PF and PUF resin was made by variation of the molar ratio and synthesis methods according to order of addition of the basic products. In addition, after verifying the properties of the resins, the quantity of pollutant emitted from boards made with the PUF resins were evaluated. Of the cases of boards made with each resin, the formaldehyde emission was the lowest for PB #7. The eMDI resin used in this board showed good quality as an eco-friendly resin, because it had less than half the formaldehyde emission of the other formaldehyde-based resins. In addition, the mechanical properties of the particle board met the KS criteria; therefore, there should be no restriction on use in manufactured goods.     

Mechanical characterization of industrial particleboard panels glued with cornstarch–mimosa tannin–urea formaldehyde resins

The aim of this work was to validate the utility and performance of optimal laboratory cornstarch–mimosa tannin-based resins in the industrial particleboard production. In this way, the cornstarch and mimosa tannin was introduced in the classic adhesive formulation in order to supply a part of urea-formaldehyde (UF). Our results show that industrial particleboard panels (8.2?m?×?1.85?m?×?19?mm) bonded with optimal cornstarch–mimosa tannin–UF (10:4:86; mass ratio) resins exhibited comparable mechanical properties to those of boards bonded with commercial UF resins and largely satisfied the exigencies of European norms EN 312. The formaldehyde emission levels obtained from panels bonded with cornstarch–mimosa tannin–UF were lower to those obtained from panels bonded with control UF. Finally, the addition of cornstarch and mimosa tannin improves markedly the water resistance of UF resins.     

Interfacial shear strength of wood–plastic composites: a new pullout method using wooden dowels

This preliminary study examined the relationship of interfacial shear strength (IFSS) to modulus of rupture (MOR) for several different wood–plastic composites (WPCs). Plastics utilized were high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP). Pine and oak were used as the wood species. Compatibilizers used included maleic-anhydride-grafted polyethylene (MAPE) and maleic-anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP). A strong correlation between IFSS and MOR was observed in a limited composition region. PP/oak WPCs showed poor correlation between MOR and IFSS, probably due to the roughness of the oak surface. Compatibilizer systems incorporating liquid components did not give good results and appeared to be inappropriate for this test method.     

Bond strength of hybrid sol–gel coatings with different additives

The hybrid sol–gel coating on Al 2024-T3 was modified by adding polyaniline, TiO₂, or γ-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles in the formulation separately. The coating was then used as an adhesive to bond Al 2024-T3 alloys, forming a single lap joint. The bond strength of the sol–gel coating was investigated using a universal tensile test machine. The lap shear strength of the original sol–gel coating was about 1.38 MPa and it was increased up to 2.26 MPa after the modification by adding 0.05 wt% PANI microparticles in the sol–gel coating. The small increase in strength was attributed to an improvement in its adhesive flexibility because of incorporation of the long-chain organic polymer in its structure. Furthermore, the addition of different amounts of TiO₂ nanoparticles in the unmodified sol–gel coating also led to an increase in shear strength compared to the undoped sol–gel coating. Typically, a sol–gel coating containing 2.0 wt% of TiO₂ recorded the highest adhesive strength of about 4.0 MPa. A similar increase in strength was observed when doping γ-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles into the original hybrid sol–gel coating. Adding 0.5 wt% of γ-Al₂O₃ in the sol–gel coating increased the adhesive bonding strength up to 4.48 MPa. The fracture surface of the specimen was separately observed by SEM and Optical Microscopy in order to examine potential evidences of mechanism and nature of failure. The reason why the adhesive strength increased after the modification of the sol–gel coating is discussed in this article.     

Enhanced performance of urea–glyoxal polymer with oxidized cassava starch as wood adhesive

To eliminate the hazard of formaldehyde from wood-based products to human and environment, formaldehyde was replaced by glyoxal to produce wood adhesive. Urea–glyoxal (UG) resin was environmental friendly, while its bonding strength was very poor, especially its water resistance. The object of this work was to improve the mechanical properties of UG resin by oxidized cassava starch addition. Hence, the urea–glyoxal (UG) resin was synthesized and the oxidized cassava starch was added through mechanical mixing. The bonding strength, structure distributions, and the morphology features of the cured UG resin system were investigated by producing a three-layer plywood, FTIR, and SEM analysis. The results of dry and wet shear strength of plywood indicated that there was a positive effect of oxidized cassava starch on bonding strength of a three-layer plywood, and when the oxidized cassava starch content was increased to 45%, the dry strength could reach 1.21 MPa, and the wet strength was 0.72 MPa. The FTIR results showed that chemical reaction between UG resin and oxidized cassava starch was beneficial to the branched structure formation and higher cohesion strength of UG resin. Meanwhile, the tightness structure of enhanced UG resin system was observed by SEM analysis as well. These improved properties were contributed to water resistance improvement of UG resin.

     

Fabrication,performances, and reaction mechanism of urea–formaldehyde resin adhesive with isocyanate

In order to improve the performances of urea–formaldehyde (UF) resin adhesive and reduce formaldehyde emission, the isocyanate was applied to modify the UF resin adhesive. The effects of the composition ratio of the isocyanate/UF resin on the thermal stability and molecular structure of the composite adhesive were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analyzer. The results showed that the appropriate addition of the isocyanate into the UF resin is favorable to improve the performances of the composite adhesive due to the chemical cross-linking reaction of the isocyanate with UF. Furthermore, the reaction mechanism of the UF resin adhesive with isocyanate was analyzed in detail. These research results can be applied to aid materials engineering design for the development of new adhesive, quality assurance, and characterization assessment of durability.     

Effects of urea formaldehyde resin to film properties of alkyd–melamine formaldehyde resins containing organo clay

Organo clay modified alkyd resins were prepared and these modified alkyd resins were cured with different ratios of melamine formaldehyde and urea formaldehyde resins in this work. Alkyds formulated to have oil content 40% were prepared with phthalic anhydride (PA), glycerine (G), coconut oil fatty acid (COFA), dipropylene glycol (DPG) and organo clay. “K alkyd constant system” was used for the formulation calculations of the alkyd resins. Alkyd resins were blended with 40% of a commercial melamine formaldehyde. The films of the alkyd–amino resins were prepared from 60% solid content xylene solutions using 50 μm applicators. After the films were cured at 140 °C for 2 h in an oven, properties of the films were determined. The film properties of the alkyd–amino resins such as drying degree, hardness, adhesion strength, abrasion resistance, water, acid, alkaline, solvent resistance, and resistance to environmental conditions were investigated. The addition of the urea formaldehyde resin and organo clay has positive effect on the physical and chemical resistance of the alkyd–amino resins.     

Effect of spent sulfite liquor on urea–formaldehyde resin performance

Combination of urea–formaldehyde (UF) resins with technical lignins has been often reported in the literature. However, the actual implications of this approach have not been effectively addressed yet. In this work, unmodified thick spent sulfite liquor (TSSL) and hydroxymethylated TSSL (TSSLH) were incorporated in a standard UF resin in different amounts (10 and 20%) and at different stages. When 10% of TSSLH was incorporated after the synthesis, the produced particleboards performed equivalently to when 90% of UF resin was used. In all other cases tested, combining UF resin with TSSL/TSSLH actually led to lower internal bond strengths. The results evidence that addition of TSSL or TSSLH does not have a beneficial effect on UF bonding performance. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47389.     

Hot-pressing and characterization of TiB2–SiC composites with different amounts of BN additive

This research aimed to study the influence of different amounts of hBN additive on the mechanical properties and microstructure of TiB₂-15 vol% SiC samples. All ceramics, containing 0, 3.5, and 7 vol% hBN, were sintered at 2000 °C using a hot-pressing route and reached their near full densities. Thanks to two different chemical reactions among the SiC reinforcement and the TiB₂ surface oxides (B₂O₃ and TiO₂), the in-situ phases of SiO₂ and TiC were generated over the sintering process. The intergranular mode was identified as the predominant fracture type in all three composite samples. The hBN additive could contribute to grain refining of composites so that the sample containing 7 vol% hBN reached the finest microstructure. Finally, the highest Vickers hardness of 25.4 HV_0.5 kg and flexural strength of 776 MPa were attained for the TiB₂–SiC and TiB₂–SiC-7 vol% hBN samples, respectively.     

Effect of emulsifier on poly(urea–formaldehyde) microencapsulation of tetrachloroethylene

Microcapsules containing tetrachloroethylene as an internal phase were prepared by in situ polymerization of urea–formaldehyde (UF) without prepolymerization. The effects of different emulsifiers on the process of microencapsulation and morphology of microcapsules were investigated. The results show that the emulsifier gum arabic (GA) can effectively slow down the deposition rate of resin onto the oil/water interface, which can lead to smooth and compact surface of microcapsules. The surface activity of GA was also enhanced by complex formation of gum arabic and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate. The microcapsules represent good thermal and barrier property as a result of the formation of capsule wall with compact microstructure.     

Adhesive strength of steel–epoxy composite joints bonded with structural acrylic adhesives filled with silica nanoparticles

This paper reports a study on the effect of silica nanoparticles on the adhesion strength of steel–glass/epoxy composite joints bonded with two-part structural acrylic adhesives. The introduction of nano-silica in the two-part acrylic adhesive led to a remarkable enhancement in the shear and tensile strength of the composite joints. The shear and tensile strengths of the adhesive joints increased with addition of the filler content up to 1.5 wt%, after which decreased with addition of more filler content. Also, addition of nanoparticles caused a reduction in the peel strength of the joints. Differential scanning calorimeter analysis revealed that T_g values of the adhesives rose with increasing the nanofiller content. The equilibrium water contact angle was decreased for adhesives containing nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscope micrographs revealed that addition of nanoparticles altered the fracture morphology from smooth to rough fracture surfaces.     

The effect of soda bagasse lignin modified by ionic liquids on properties of the urea–formaldehyde resin as a wood adhesive

The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of lignin modified by ionic liquids on physical and mechanical properties of plywood panels bonded with the urea–formaldehyde (UF) resin. For this purpose, soda bagasse lignin was modified by the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([Emim][OAc]) ionic liquid and then the various contents of unmodified and modified lignins (10, 15, and 20%) were added at pH=7 instead of second urea during the UF resin synthesis. The physicochemical properties of the prepared resins as well as the water absorption, shear strength, and formaldehyde emission of the plywood panels made with these adhesives were measured according to standard methods. According to Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrometry, by treatment of lignin, the C=O, C–C, and C–H bonds decrease while the content of the C–N bond dramatically increases. Based on the finding of this research, the performance of soda bagasse lignin in UF resins dramatically improves by modification by ILs; as the resins with modified lignin yielded lower formaldehyde emission and water absorption when compared to those made from unmodified lignin and commercial UF adhesives, respectively. The shear strength as well as wood failure percentages are lower for the panels produced with modified lignin than for the panels produced with UF resins alone.     

High shear strength and ductile ZrC–SiC/austenitic stainless steel joints bonded with Ti/Ni foam interlayer

A transient-liquid-phase (TLP) diffusion bonding method was employed to join ZrC–SiC ceramic and austenitic stainless steel by using Ti foil and various density Ni foam as interlayer. The Ti–Ni TLP contributed to a firm bonding between ceramic and foam interlayer while avoiding liquid infiltration in foam structure. The influence of holding time on the microstructure of the TLP reaction layer was investigated. The shear tests showed the joints with foam interlayer exhibited ductile failure mode and improved fracture work in comparison with the one with dense Ni interlayer. A maximum shear strength of 117.2 MPa was reached when the relative density of Ni foam was 0.57. The fracture behaviors of the joints during shear test were in-situ observed.     

Cure kinetics of melamine–formaldehyde resin/clay/cellulose nanocomposites

As a part of improving the properties of surface laminates for wood-based panel products, this study attempted to investigate cure kinetics of the melamine–formaldehyde (MF) resin/clay/cellulose nanocomposites. Three different methods (Ozawa, Kissinger, and isoconversion) of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were employed to study cure kinetics of the nanocomposites, using three different heating rates (5, 10 and 20 °C/min). Both Ozawa and Kissinger methods showed that the overall activation energy (E_a) of the nanocomposite at the 0.5 wt% nanoclay level reached a maximum and then decreased thereafter. But, the Ozawa method provided greater E_a values than those of the Kissinger method. The isoconversional method provided the change of activation energy (E_α) values as a function of the degree of conversion (α). The E_α values increased as the degree of conversion increased, while the influence of nanoclay levels followed a similar trend to the overall E_a values from the both Ozawa and Kissinger methods. These results indicated that the exfoliation of layered nanoclay particles into MF resin delayed the cure of MF resin/nanoclay/cellulose nanocomposites.     

Synthesis and properties of microencapsulated phase change material with a urea–formaldehyde resin shell and paraffin wax core

During this study, paraffin wax with low melting point was encapsulated in a urea–formaldehyde resin to prepare a novel microencapsulated phase change material (Micro-P6) for temperature regulation and thermal energy storage. The structure and properties of Micro-P6 were characterized by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimeter, laser particle size analyzer, thermogravimetric analysis, contact angle analysis, and scanning electron microscope. The results indicated that the chemical structure of Micro-P6 meets the designed core–shell structure; and the paraffin wax with low melting point was successfully encapsulated by using urea–formaldehyde resin; and the Micro-P6 shows a spherical structure and rough surface, and the average size is 8.0–10.0 μm. Then, the performances of Micro-P6, such as core content, mechanical property, thermal conductivity and durability, were tested. Based on above characterization and performance test, it was indicated that the synthesized Micro-P6 could be used in the field of cementing and construction for temperature regulation and thermal energy storage. The applications of Micro-P6 in the field of cementing and construction will be completed in our next study. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48578.