Preparation of a New Type of Polyamidoamine and Its Application for Soy Flour-Based Adhesives

The most commonly used curing agents for soy-based adhesives are polyamines, which have the problem of low solid content and/or high viscosity. To overcome this problem, a new type of polyamidoamine (PADA) resin was synthesized and applied to soy flour-based adhesives to improve their water resistance. The PADA solution obtained had a high solid content of 50 wt% and low viscosity of 270 cP. The optimum weight ratio of soy flour/PADA/maleic anhydride to prepare adhesive was 40/7/1.68. The wet strength of plywood prepared at the optimum weight ratio was 0.82 MPa, which meant the plywood could be used as type II plywood according to the Chinese National Standard GB/T 9846.7-2004. The results of water-insoluble solid content measurement and SEM observation demonstrated that cured soy flour–PADA–maleic anhydride adhesive had a 16 % greater water-insoluble solid content than soy flour–NaOH adhesive. The cross-linking network formed by the reactions of PADA and MA would increase the water-insoluble solid contents and improve water resistance of cured soy flour-based adhesives.