Fabrication and Properties of Lightweight and High-strength Particleboards Using In-situ Adhesive Foaming

ZOU Caixin; LIANG Yongzhi; MENG Shurong; CHEN Tan; ZHAO Shuangliang; LIU Ming; WANG Chunpeng; XIAO Yan; CHENG Fangchao

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.15.002

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (15) : 14-24. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.15.002

Advanced Materials

Fabrication and Properties of Lightweight and High-strength Particleboards Using In-situ Adhesive Foaming

ZOU Caixin^1a, LIANG Yongzhi^1a, MENG Shurong^1a, CHEN Tan^1a, ZHAO Shuangliang^1b, LIU Ming², WANG Chunpeng³, XIAO Yan⁴, CHENG Fangchao^1a,*

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Abstract

The work aims to develop a montmorillonite/castor oil composite-modified polyurethane adhesive using montmorillonite and castor oil to modify isocyanate, and subsequently employ it to fabricate lightweight high-strength particleboard, so as to address the trade-off between environmental friendliness and mechanical performance in conventional adhesives. A series of montmorillonite/castor oil-based polyurethane adhesives were prepared by adjusting the mass ratio of montmorillonite to castor oil, with montmorillonite, castor oil, MDI and Tween 80 as raw materials. The as-prepared adhesive was mixed with wood particles, and a three-stage hot-pressing process was applied to produce lightweight high-strength particleboard under controlled hot-pressing parameters. When the mass ratio of montmorillonite to castor oil was 1:3, the resulting adhesive film exhibited the best foaming performance, characterized by uniform bubble distribution and a loose structure. At a hot-pressing temperature of 200 °C, pressure of 5.0 MPa, and time of 300 s, the particleboard prepared with this adhesive showed desirable comprehensive properties: modulus of rupture (MOR) of 12.1 MPa, modulus of elasticity (MOE) of 2 089 MPa, internal bonding strength of 0.51 MPa, surface bonding strength of 0.92 MPa, thickness swelling rate of 1.62%, and density of 0.57 g/cm³. The montmorillonite/castor oil composite-modified polyurethane adhesive is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective. It enhances the mechanical properties of the particleboard while reducing its density and production energy consumption. The obtained lightweight particleboard meets all mechanical property requirements of type P2 in the Chinese national standard "Particleboard" (GB/T 4897—2015), demonstrating excellent mechanical performance. This work provides a theoretical basis for the preparation of low-cost, high-performance lightweight particleboard.

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lightweight particleboard / polyurethane-based adhesive / montmorillonite / castor oil / green manufacturing

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ZOU Caixin, LIANG Yongzhi, MENG Shurong, CHEN Tan, ZHAO Shuangliang, LIU Ming, WANG Chunpeng, XIAO Yan, CHENG Fangchao. Fabrication and Properties of Lightweight and High-strength Particleboards Using In-situ Adhesive Foaming[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2026, 47(15): 14-24 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.15.002

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