Fire Resistant Adhesive from Chitosan

Chitosan is one of the most abundant biopolymers on earth. It is used as a nontoxic alternative in a wide range of medicines, packaging, adhesives, and flame retardants. Chitosan is poorly soluble in neutral or alkaline solutions, but it dissolves in solutions of weak acids, such as acetic acid or citric acid, both of which occur naturally. As a replacement for formaldehyde-containing resins in engineered wood, a chitosan-acid mixture acts as a low-cost, nontoxic adhesive for natural wood that also offers fire protection by forming a char barrier. Pentaerythritol was studied as an additive due to its similarity to glycerol (a common plasticizer for chitosan) and its potential flame retardant benefit. The properties of chitosan adhesives produced with acetic acid and citric acid are compared, and moderate thermal treatment is applied to facilitate covalent bonding (e.g., Maillard reaction) that improves water resistance. Tensile shear strengths of >1 MPa are obtained on lap joints. The unique combination of fire protection and adhesion for wood makes these low cost, biobased systems very appealing.