The influence of surface modification of wood particles with carbon nanotubes on properties of particleboard glued with phenol-formaldehyde resin.

Abstract

Research was carried out on a newly manufactured particleboard (PB) containing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to determine the effect of the CNTs on physical, mechanical and combustion properties of the board. The experiment consisted of two stages. In the first, wood particles were treated with an aqueous suspension of CNTs (0.2% w/w) and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (0.2% w/w) as a dispersant. After drying to constant weight, a modified form of the ASTM E69 method was used to determine the effectiveness of fire protection provided by CNT-modified wood chips. The rate of wood decomposition decreased significantly, and the time to complete combustion increased from 18 to 22.5 min for the reference and CNT-modified wood particles respectively. In the second stage of the experiment a particleboard bonded with phenyl-formaldehyde resin was produced, in which the particles were modified with CNTs using the method described in the first stage. Selected physical and mechanical properties of the final board were determined. Samples of the board were tested using a mass loss calorimeter in accordance with the ISO 13927 standard, and mechanical tests were performed by applicable standard methods. However, no significant improvement in the properties of the PB were observed.