In situ polymerization of N-methylol acrylamide (NMA) for bamboo anti-mold modification

Bamboo is an eco-friendly and sustainable material but with limited application due to its susceptibility to mold infection. N-methylol acrylamide (NMA) is a cross-linking monomer with bifunctional groups, here NMA was used to modified bamboo to enhance its anti-mold property through in situ polymerization and cross-linking reaction. When the monomer concentration was 6% and above, no mold germinated at the NMA treated bamboo surface. SEM/EDX, FTIR was used to explore the anti-mold mechanism of NMA modified bamboo. The primary reason for the improvement in the anti-mildew property was the coating effect of PNMA on starch as well as the antimicrobial properties of PNMA. Thermal stability of bamboo before and after modification was almost unchanged. Results also indicated that the mechanical properties of modified bamboo are improved by around 50%, which was mainly attributed to more compact structure of cell wall obtained in the neutral reaction condition. The NMA in situ polymerization was proved to be a potential modification for bamboo to broaden its application.