WOOD RESEARCH Volume 71, Number 2, 2026
LEI YAN, QIANHUI HUO, JINGWEN SHA, LILI YU, SHUGUANG LI, and HUI LI

THE EFFECTS OF INTERFACE MODIFICATION ON THE PROPERTIES OF WASTE WOOD/POLYBUTYLENE SUCCINATE COMPOSITES

In this study, wood-plastic composites were prepared using waste wood powder (WWP) and polybutylene succinate (PBS). Three interfacial modifiers, γ-glycidoxy-propyltrimethoxysilane (KH560), isopropyl tri(dioctylpyrophosphate) titanate (CS201), and maleic anhydride-grafted PBS (MAPBS) were used to modify the interface of the composites and enhance the mechanical properties. The materials were characterized using infrared spectroscopy, three-point bending, and water absorption tests. The results indicated that all three interfacial modifiers were successfully grafted onto the wood powder surface, thereby influencing the mechanical properties. When the mechanical properties of the composites reached their optimal levels, the optimal loading levels of KH560, CS201, and MAPBS were 2%, 1%, and 2%, resp. At this point, compared to the unmodified composite, the elastic modulus increased by 9.44%, 15.03%, and 12.92%, resp; the flexural strength increased by 5.35%, 11.51%, and 8.91%, resp; the water absorption decreased by 4.88%, 3.68%, and 6.21%, resp; and the thickness swelling decreased by 4.56%, 3.08%, and 7.54%, resp.

WOOD RESEARCH Volume 71, Number 2, 2026
HUI LI, HONGXIA CUI, YU LIU, SHU-GUANG LI, JUN JIANG, HAO LYU, HUIJIE ZHANG, YONGQI SHI, and LILI YU

THE EFFECT OF COMPOSITE MODIFIED BORON-BASED WATERBORNE FLAME-RETARDANT COATING ON COMBUSTION PERFORMANCE OF BAMBOO DECORATIVE FILAMENT

To address the flammability of bamboo decorative filament, seven waterborne composite flame-retardant coating systems were developed using waterborne acrylic resin as the film-forming matrix, with boric acid, borax, ammonium polyphosphate (APP), nano-SiO2, and disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT). The filament was treated as primer-only, topcoat-only, and combined primer/topcoat application. The combustion performance was evaluated by a cone calorimeter following ISO 5660-1: 2002. The results indicated that in the primer-only coating system, the boric acid/borax/disodium octaborate tetrahydrate composite system reduced total smoke production (TSP) by 11.90%, while the total heat release (THR) of the boric acid/borax/disodium octaborate tetrahydrate/ammonium polyphosphate composite system decreased by 18.83%. In the topcoat-only system, the boric acid/borax single-component system exhibited the optimal comprehensive performance, which the peak value of heat release rate (HRR) and the TSP decreased 13.54% and 8.24%, resp. In the combined primer-topcoat systems, THR reductions of 10.99% and 10.21% were achieved. Notably, nano-SiO2/boric acid/borax exhibited superior smoke suppression performance, with a 14.12% decrease in TSP, attributed to the synergistic physical barrier effect between the silicate network formed by nano-SiO2 and the boron-based glassy protective layer

WOOD RESEARCH Volume 70, Number 1, 2025
QIANHUI HUO, LEI YAN, XINJIE ZHOU, LILI YU, LIHUA HE, XIAO WANG, HUI LI, and LONGZE AN

WEATHERABILITY OF BAMBOO/PPC COMPOSITES MODIFIED WITH IPBC/DDAC AND UV1130

In this study, a compound anti-mold agent IPBC/DDAC and an ultraviolet absorber UV1130 were used to enhance the weatherability of bamboo/polypropylene carbonate (PPC) composites exposed outdoors. The samples were evaluated by mechanical test, surface color difference analysis, anti-ageing test and mold resistance test. The results indicated that the appropriate addition of IPBC/DDAC and UV1130 effectively mitigated the decline in tensile strength and flexural strength caused by changes in environmental factors; however, their impact on the variation in impact strength was not as significant. At the same level of IPBC/DDAC modification, the higher contents of the UV1130 introduction into the composites, the better surface color stability could be obtained. The introduction of appropriate amount of IPBC/DDAC and UV1130 can effectively improve the mold resistance, water vapor and thermal resistance of bamboo/PPC composite, in which the water vapor resistant level could be up to Grade 5, and no obvious cracks or bubbling were observed on the surface of the composites; the anti-mold efficiency of the composites could be above 90%

WOOD RESEARCH Volume 70, Number 1, 2025
LEI YAN, QIANHUI HUO, XINJIE ZHOU, HAN YU, LILI YU, LIHUA HE, XIAO WANG, HUI LI, and DEZHI ZHOU

EFFECTS OF WASTE POLYETHYLENE ON THE PROPERTIES OF BAMBOO/POLYPROPYLENE CARBONATE COMPOSITES

Bamboo-plastic composites were made by bamboo fibers (BF), polypropylene carbonate (PPC) and waste polyethylene (PE), modified with 3-iodo-2-propargyl butyl carbamate/didecyldimethyl ammonium chloride (IPBC/DDAC) as fungicides and UV1130 as ultraviolet absorbent to prolong their service life for outdoor application, in which 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% of PPC were replaced by waste PE, respectively to reduce their cost. The modified composites were characterized and analyzed by mechanical properties test, surface color difference analysis, and mold resistance test. The results showed that the tensile strength, bending strength and impact strength of BF/PPC/waste PE composites would decrease as the waste PE content increased, and only when the waste PE content was not higher than 20%, the mechanical properties could meet the application requirements for indoors and outdoors. The introduction of IPBC/DDAC and UV1130 could take positive effects on the mechanical properties, surface color stability and mold resistance of BF/PPC composites, while the tensile strength, bending strength and impact strength of BF/PPC/PE composites were 2.36%, 1.85%, and 1.67% lower than the modified BF/PPC composites, as well as the values of ∆L*, ∆a*, and ∆b* of the composites were lower , and the value of ∆E was higher than the BF/PPC modified composites after three months of outdoor exposure. The efficacy levels of the modified BF/PPC and BF/PPC/waste PE composites could be increased to 98.8% and 56.75%, respectively, due to the excellent mold resistance of the combined antifungal agents of IPBC/DDAC

WOOD RESEARCH Volume 69, Number 3, 2024
CHENYANG LI, YATING CAI, XINJIE ZHOU, RUOGU XU, HAN YU, LILI YU, HUI LI, XIAO WANG, and SHU-GUANG LI

PREPARATION PROCESS AND INTERFACE MODIFICATION ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF BAMBOO FIBER/POLYPROPYLENE CARBONATE COMPOSITES

In this study, bamboo fiber (BF) and polypropylene carbonate (PPC) were used to prepare BF/PPC composite materials. The single factor test combined with orthogonal experiment was used to investigate the effects of different hot pressing process conditions (hot pressing temperature, hot pressing pressure and hot pressing time) on the mechanical properties of BF/PPC composites. Based on the hot pressing process results, the filler nano-calcium carbonate (Nano-CaCO3), γ-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (KH550) and maleic anhydride (MAH) were added respectively to the composites to improve the interface between BF and PPC in order to increase the mechanical properties of the composites. The results showed that the reasonable preparation conditions of BF/PPC composites with the best mechanical properties were set at 170°C, under 1.9 MPa for 10 min. Compared with PPC samples, the tensile modulus, bending modulus and impact strength of BF/PPC composites could be increased to 102%, 38.69% and 65.13%, respectively. The optimal interface modification treatments have been proved that nano-CaCO3 with 10% content could increase the tensile modulus and impact strength to 70.53% and 65.84%, while the best result for the bending modulus of BF/PPC composites was modified with MAH with 2.5% content, which could increase to 28.46%

WOOD RESEARCH Volume 69, Number 1, 2024
CHENYANG LI, YATING CAI, CHUNYAN LI, XINJIE ZHOU, YULIN LIU, LILI YU, HUI LI, and MEILING CHEN

STUDY ON THE MOST EFFECTIVE COMBINATION OF FLAME RETARDANT AND ANTI-AGING AGENT FOR BAMBOO MODIFICATION

In order to promote the universal application of bamboo materials as well as to provide reference for the study of the performance of bamboo, four kinds of flame retardants (boric acid (BA), borax (BX), ammonium polyphosphate (APP), disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT)), two kinds of ultraviolet light absorbers (UV-531, nano TiO2) were added into waterborne polyurethane (WPU) to synthesize 5 kinds of modified coatings and coated on the surface of bamboo to make test materials. The flame-retardant analysis of the coated samples comprehensively explored the changes in flame retardancy of the test material after treatment. And the anti-aging test was carried out to investigate the color difference and adhesion change of the coating sample. The results show that the optimum flame retardant and anti-aging coating composition was obtained as 20% solid content of WPU, 8g coating amount of modifier, with the mass ratio of BA/BX/APP /DOT/water being 75:75:7:42:600, and the amount of UV-531 added being 1%

WOOD RESEARCH Volume 69, Number 1, 2024
YATING CAI, CHENYANG LI, CAIJUAN ZAHNG, YULIN LIU, LILI YU, HUI LI, and XIAO WANG

PREPARATION AND PERFORMANCE OF ANTI MILDEW GLUED LAMINATED BAMBOO

In order to strengthen the anti-mildew and anti-aging properties of bamboo when exposed outdoors, the glued laminated bamboo was impregnated with four different kinds of anti-mildew agents: tebuconazole, 3-Iodo-2-propargyl butyl carbamate (IPBC), NaBF4/didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DDAC), boric acid/borax, and waterborne polyurethane coatings modified with boric acid/borax and triazole (UV1130), nano-TiO2 and nano-SiO2 were coated respectively. The modified coated glued laminated bamboo was characterized and analyzed through the experiments of wear resistance, three-point bending resistance and mildew resistance. The results showed that the glued laminated bamboo impregnated with 0.5% NaBF4/DDAC, and then coated with the waterborne polyurethane modified with boric acid/borax and nano TiO2 (the mass ratio:7.5/7.5/1.0) possessed the best mildew resistance, mechanical properties and weather resistance

WOOD RESEARCH Volume 68, Number 1, 2023
Hui Guo, Caijuan Zhang, XINJIE ZHOU, Shuo Wang, LILI YU, HUI LI, and Zhi-Bin Yang

Comparation of different environment-friendly anti-mildew agents on bamboo

Four kinds of environmental anti-mildew agents (boric acid/borax, 3-iodo-2-propynyl-butyl-carbamate (IPBC), sodium tetrafluoroborate/didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (NaBF4/DDAC), tebuconazole) were used to treat bamboo with different concentrations respectively. The optimal concentration of each anti-mildew agent and the comparison of the anti-mildew capacity were evaluated with Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma viride and Penicillium citrinum, respectively. The results showed that the optimal anti-mildew agent concentrations of boric acid/borax (F1), IPBC (F2), NaBF4/DDAC (F3) and tebuconazole (F4) were 3.0%, 1.5%, 0.5% and 0.4%, respectively, and the average control efficacy of the three test molds was 73.15%, 92.03%, 88.43% and 98.67%, respectively. The order of anti-mildew capability of these four anti-mildew agents with their optimal concentrations was F4 > F2 > F3 > F1.

WOOD RESEARCH Volume 67, Number 5, 2022
Gang Zhu, HUI LI, Kunyong Kang, Xupeng Zhang, and Shuduan Deng

Influence of vacuum impregnation pressures on the nanomechanical characteristics and photocatalytic performance of nano TIO2-furfuryl alcohol/balsa wood-based composites

In this work, a nano TiO2-FA/balsa wood-based composites were successfully fabricated by mechanical stirring assisted vacuum impregnation method, and the influence of different impregnation pressures on the microstructure, nanomechanical characteristics and photocatalytic performance of obtained composites were investigated. Results show that the nano TiO2-FA compound modifier was impregnated in the tracheid and attached to the wood cell walls. SEM revealed that the size of TiO2 nanoparticles grow larger as the impregnation pressure increases, and the presence of TiO2 globules with some areas agglomerated on the wood cell wall surface. Compared with the unmodified wood, the elastic modulus of cell walls for nano TiO2-FA/balsa wood composites prepared under 0.45 MPa significantly increased by 160.5%, and the hardness improved from 0.36 ± 0.04 GPa to 0.84 ± 0.08 GPa. Furthermore, the UV-Vis showed that the composite exhibited a high removal rate of methylene blue (10 mg.L-1), up to 88.74% within 240 min.

WOOD RESEARCH Volume 67, Number 2, 2022
Caijuan Zhang, Hui Guo, XINJIE ZHOU, LILI YU, HUI LI, and Zhi-Bin Yang

Effects of differrent boron-based flame retardants on the combustibility of bamboo filaments

In this study, eight types of boron-based flame retardants were performed to evaluate the effects of different boron components on the combustibility of the bamboo filaments. Disodium octaborate tetrahydrate, boric acid/borax, and nano-ZnBO4 were used as the active flame retardant components. Besides, other inorganic flame retardants including nano-SiO2 and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) were also introduced in order to increase the flame retardant of these boron-based components. The combustibility of the bamboo filaments treated with different flame retardants were evaluated by cone calorimeter analysis. The results showed that the flame retardants including the heat release and smoke release resistance of the bamboo filaments with different boron-based components and nano-SiO2 or APP, could be significantly improved, especially, in the samples treated with the compound flame retardant composed of boric acid, borax and nano-SiO2, which was attributed to the synergistic effect of these flame retardant components.

WOOD RESEARCH Volume 66, Number 2, 2021
CHUNYAN LI, XINJIE ZHOU, Changhao Yang, LILI YU, HUI LI, and Benhua Fei

Effects of different flame retardant treatments on the combustibility of bamboo filament

Bamboo filaments were treated with boric acid and borax (the mass ratio of 1:1, the concentration of 20%) with four different treatment methods including atmospheric immersion, cold and hot bath immersion, vacuum impregnation and vacuum-pressure impregnation. The different treatment methods on the boron loading were analyzed and the corresponding flame resistance of bamboo filaments were evaluated by the cone analysis. The results showed that suitable treatment method with optimized processing indexes, such as hot and cold bath immersion in the condition of 100°C/2 h and 20°C/2 h with 3 cycles, was more credible to accelerate the percentages of boron loading in the bamboo filaments, and the lowest result was found in the samples with vacuum impregnation. Compared to the untreated samples, the heat and smoke release would be decreased significantly, especially for the samples with the promising hot and cold treatment, and promising pressure treatment, attributed to the more stable boron fixed in the bamboo filaments.