Synthesis and Characterization of Starch-based Aqueous Polymer Isocyanate Wood Adhesive

Modified starch was prepared in this work by acid-thinning and oxidizing corn starch with ammonium persulfate. Also, starch-based aqueous polymer isocyanate (API) wood adhesive was prepared. The effect of the added amount of modified starch, styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), polymeric diphenylmethane diisocyanate (P-MDI), and the mass concentration of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) on the bonding strength of starch-based API adhesives were determined by orthogonal testing. The starch-based API adhesive performance was found to be the best when the addition of modified starch (mass concentration 35%) was 45 g, the amount of SBR was 3%, the PVOH mass concentration was 10%, and the amount of P-MDI was 18%. The compression shearing of glulam produced by starch-based API adhesive reached bonding performance indicators of I type adhesive. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to analyze the changes in micro-morphology of the starch surface during each stage. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to study the changes in absorption peaks and functional groups from starch to starch-based API adhesives. The results showed that during starch-based API adhesive synthesis, corn starch surface was differently changed and it gradually reacted with other materials.