Resol resin adhesives, preparation

Various attempts have been made to prepare adhesives from lignin. The preparation of resol resin adhesives has been studied especially extensively. The introduction of phenols into the a or /2-position of the sidechain of the phenylpropane unit (phenolation of lignin) has been considered a key reaction for the formulation of these types of adhesives with adequate glu-ability. 

There have been many attempts to prepare resol resin adhesives from kraft lignin (23). Phenolation of lignin can, in these cases, also be considered a key reaction. That is, effective modification of lignin with phenol can enhance its reactivity, resulting in good gluability. 

For comparison, a conventional resol resin adhesive without lignin was prepared (24), and its gluability was examined. This resin was found to require a hot-pressing rate of at least 1.5 min per 1 mm plywood thickness before a satisfactory wet-bond adhesion strength was achieved at the low hot-pressing temperature of 120°C. This indicates that replacing a part of the phenol with lignin does not imply a mere extender addition, but that a positive role is achieved which enhances the reactivity of the adhesive. 

From liquified solutions of untreated wood, almost the same products have been prepared as those from chemically modified wood [7,8,23,26]. For example, resol-type phenol resin adhesives prepared from five parts of wood chips and two parts of phenol, liquified at 250°C without catalyst, did not require severe adhesion conditions and were comparable to the corresponding commercial adhesives in their gluability. Acceptable waterproof adhesion was attained from the adhesives after gluing wood veneers at 120-130°C with a hot-pressing time of 0.5 min to 1 mm-thick plywood [27]. 

With a bulk process, resole resins, in neat or concentrated form, must be produced in small batches (ca 2—9.5 m ) in order to maintain control of the reaction and obtain a uniform product. On the other hand, if the product contains a large amount of water, such as Hquid plywood adhesives, large reactors (19 m ) can be used. Melt-stable products such as novolaks can be prepared in large batches (19—38 m ) if the exotherms can be controlled. 

Experiment 2. Effect of Molar Ratio of Sodium Hydroxide to Phenol of Phenolic Resin on Strength Properties of Lignin-Phenolic Resin Adhesives. Sodium hydroxide has been the predominant chemical used as a catalyst in resol resin technology. Through variation in the amounts of the catalyst and the method of catalyst addition, a wide variety of resin systems can be formulated. This experiment examined the properties of phenolic resins formulated with various sodium hydroxide/phenol ratios and their effects on the bond properties of structural flakeboards made with lignin-phenolic resin adhesive systems. Variables for resin preparation were four molar ratios of sodium hydroxide/phenol (i.e., 0.2, 0.45,0.7, and 0.95). The formaldehyde/phenol ratio and solids content were fixed at 3/1 and 42%, respectively. 

Resol-type phenol resin adhesives were also prepared from wood-phenol solutions liquified at ISO C with phenolsulfonic acid catalyst and their gluabili-ties were examined [12]. The results revealed that when these adhesives were used, it was easily possible to realize completely satisfactory waterproof... 

Phenolic adhesives are structural adhesives with specific applications, e.g. where wide gap bonding is required and where large structures need to be bonded. Phenolic resins are the product of a special reaction ratio of a phenol and formaldehyde in the presence of an organic catalyst. There are two main types of phenolic resins phenol or methylol terminated. The phenol terminated are called novalacs, while the methylol terminated are called resoles (one step resins). Modem phenolic resins are prepared in the presence of metal carboxylates and these resins contain a large number of benzylic ether linkages and have open para positions which have good temperature stability and are usually of low viscosity. 

Choi and Chung [16] were the first to prepare phenolic resin/layered sihcate nanocomposites with intercalated or exfoliated nanostructures by melt interaction using linear novolac and examined their mechanical properties and thermal stability. Lee and Giannelis [10] reported a melt interaction method for phenolic resin/clay nanocomposites, too. Although PF resin is a widely used polymer, there are not many research reports on PF resin/montmorillonite nanocomposites, and most of the research investigations have concentrated on linear novolac resins. Up to now, only limited research studies on resole-type phenolic resin/layered silicate nanocomposites have been published [17-19] and there is still no report on the influence of nano-montmorillonite on phenolic resin as wood adhesive. Normally H-montmorillonite (HMMT) has been used as an acid catalyst for the preparation of novolac/layered silicate nanocomposites. Resole resins can be prepared by condensation reaction catalyzed by alkaline NaMMT, just as what HMMT has done for novolac resins. 

Resol resins (resols or resoles) are prepared by the interaction of a phenol with a molar excess of formaldehyde (commonly about 1 1.5—2) under alkaline conditions. This procedure corresponds to Baekeland s original technique. Resols are now used mainly in the preparation of adhesives, binders and laminates. 

Neoprene—phenohc contact adhesives, known for thein high green strength and peel values, contain a resole-type resin prepared from 4-/-butylphenol. The alkyl group increases compatibiHty and reduces cross-linking. This resin reacts or complexes with the metal oxide, eg, MgO, contained in the formulation, and increases the cohesive strength of the adhesive. In fact, the reactivity with MgO is frequently measured to determine the effectiveness of heat-reactive phenoHcs in the formulation. 

In the manufacture of pure resorcinol resins, the reaction can be violently exothermic unless controlled by the addition of alcohols. Because the alcohols perform other useful functions in the glue mix, they are left in the liquid adhesive. PRF adhesives are generally prepared firstly by reaction of phenol with formaldehyde to form a PF resol polymer, that has been proved to be in the greatest percentage, and often completely, linear [95], In the reaction step that follows the resorcinol chemical is added in excess to the PF-resol to react it with the PF-resin -CH2OH groups to form PRF polymers in which the resorcinol groups can be resorcinol chemical or any type of resorcinol-formaldehyde polymer. 

Phenol-formaldehyde resins find numerous applications in such areas as wood composites, fiber bonding, laminates, foundry resins, abrasives, friction and molding materials, coatings and adhesives, and flame retardants (JL). From a specialty chemicals standpoint, they are also used as developer resins in carbonless papers (2.). Conventional methods of preparation involve condensation of a phenol with formaldehyde under either acidic (novolak) or basic (resole) conditions (2). Their typical molecular weight range is from 800-4000 daltons (D) and includes a wide variety of alkyl or aryl substituted phenols (A)- The... 

Phenol-formaldehyde This adhesive is most widely used in the manufacture of plywood. The resin is usually a resol type, prepared by the reaction of phenol with excess formaldehyde in the presence of an alkali catalyst. Curing occurs at elevated temperatures in the presence of an alkali. Phenolic adhesives need higher spreads, are slower curing... 

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