Urea-formaldehyde resins characterized by thermal analysis and FTIR method

Urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins are the most used polycondensation resins today, in manufacturing particleboards. UF resins possess some advantages such as fast curing, good performance in the panel, water solubility and low price. However, the main chemical bonds of the UF resins macromolecules are hydrolysis sensitive. This causes low water and moisture resistance performance and subsequent formaldehyde release from the UF-bonded panels. A multitude of pathways have been explored for the improvement of UF resins' behavior relating either to their synthesis procedure or application parameters during panel manufacture. In this study, two UF resins (a conventional and an innovative one produced at very low pH and temperature conditions) were analyzed for their specifications and characterized with TG-DTA technique in dynamic heating conditions and FTIR measurements both in their pre-polymer and cured state.