Preparation and properties of a starch-based wood adhesive with high bonding strength and water resistance

A Highly efficient method was developed for preparing starch-based wood adhesives with high performance, using H2O2, a silane coupling agent and an olefin monomer as an oxidant, cross-linking agent and comonomer, respectively. The effects of various parameters on the shear adhesive strength were investigated in the dry state (DS) and wet state (WS). The results indicated that the bonding strength of starch-based wood adhesives could reach 7.88 MPa in dry state and 4.09 MPa in wet state. The oxidation could reduce the content of the hydroxyl transforming into carboxyl and aldehyde groups, and the graft copolymerization enhanced the thermal stability, which improved the bonding strength and water resistance. The starch-based adhesive and the fractures in the bonded joints were analyzed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The improved properties were attributed to the modified of microstructure of the graft-copolymerized starch-based adhesive. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.