Effect of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on the Physical Properties of Medium Density Fiberboard
This paper investigates the influence of iron oxide (Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) nanoparticles on the physical properties of medium density fiberboard (MDF). In this study, three different nano iron oxide loadings, i.e., 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 wt %, and untreated poplar fibers wer...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Polymers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/12/2911 |
| _version_ | 1797545753520898048 |
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| author | Waheed Gul Hussein Alrobei Syed Riaz Akbar Shah Afzal Khan |
| author_facet | Waheed Gul Hussein Alrobei Syed Riaz Akbar Shah Afzal Khan |
| author_sort | Waheed Gul |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper investigates the influence of iron oxide (Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) nanoparticles on the physical properties of medium density fiberboard (MDF). In this study, three different nano iron oxide loadings, i.e., 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 wt %, and untreated poplar fibers were used. The iron oxide (Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) nanoparticles were initially dispersed into urea formaldehyde resin using a high-vacuum mechanical stirrer before being incorporated into natural fibers. The untreated poplar fibers were wound onto metal frames to produce dry mat layers. Twenty different composite samples were made. All composite samples were tested for physical properties, i.e., thickness swelling, water absorption, moisture content and density in accordance with standards EN-317, ASTM D570, EN-322 and EN-323 respectively. Based on the results, it was found that the incorporation of homogeneously dispersed iron oxide nanoparticles significantly improved thickness swelling (Ts). Moreover, water absorption (WA) improved by up to 49.18 and 34.54%, respectively, at the highest loading of 2.5 wt %. Microstructure was investigated and characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and we examined whether iron oxide nanoparticles exhibit good interactions with urea formaldehyde and poplar wood fibers. Heat and mass transfer investigation in the form of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out due to the impact of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> nanoparticles. The curing temperature and thermal stability of the resin were enhanced due to the addition of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> nanoparticles. A one-way ANOVA statistical analysis was established to effectively control the use of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> nanoparticles. Therefore, the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles in an epoxy polymer contributes to a stiffer matrix that, effectively, enhances the capability of improving the physical properties of nano MDF. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:19:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6095f36179e74b889e3dd6a5ae7739ba |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T14:19:25Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymers |
| spelling | doaj.art-6095f36179e74b889e3dd6a5ae7739ba2023-11-20T23:30:15ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602020-12-011212291110.3390/polym12122911Effect of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on the Physical Properties of Medium Density FiberboardWaheed Gul0Hussein Alrobei1Syed Riaz Akbar Shah2Afzal Khan3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad 44000, PakistanDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj 11942, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Mechatronics Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar 25120, PakistanDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar 25120, PakistanThis paper investigates the influence of iron oxide (Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) nanoparticles on the physical properties of medium density fiberboard (MDF). In this study, three different nano iron oxide loadings, i.e., 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 wt %, and untreated poplar fibers were used. The iron oxide (Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) nanoparticles were initially dispersed into urea formaldehyde resin using a high-vacuum mechanical stirrer before being incorporated into natural fibers. The untreated poplar fibers were wound onto metal frames to produce dry mat layers. Twenty different composite samples were made. All composite samples were tested for physical properties, i.e., thickness swelling, water absorption, moisture content and density in accordance with standards EN-317, ASTM D570, EN-322 and EN-323 respectively. Based on the results, it was found that the incorporation of homogeneously dispersed iron oxide nanoparticles significantly improved thickness swelling (Ts). Moreover, water absorption (WA) improved by up to 49.18 and 34.54%, respectively, at the highest loading of 2.5 wt %. Microstructure was investigated and characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and we examined whether iron oxide nanoparticles exhibit good interactions with urea formaldehyde and poplar wood fibers. Heat and mass transfer investigation in the form of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out due to the impact of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> nanoparticles. The curing temperature and thermal stability of the resin were enhanced due to the addition of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> nanoparticles. A one-way ANOVA statistical analysis was established to effectively control the use of Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> nanoparticles. Therefore, the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles in an epoxy polymer contributes to a stiffer matrix that, effectively, enhances the capability of improving the physical properties of nano MDF.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/12/2911natural fiber compositephysical propertiescuring temperatureSEMXRDEDS |
| spellingShingle | Waheed Gul Hussein Alrobei Syed Riaz Akbar Shah Afzal Khan Effect of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on the Physical Properties of Medium Density Fiberboard Polymers natural fiber composite physical properties curing temperature SEM XRD EDS |
| title | Effect of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on the Physical Properties of Medium Density Fiberboard |
| title_full | Effect of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on the Physical Properties of Medium Density Fiberboard |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on the Physical Properties of Medium Density Fiberboard |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on the Physical Properties of Medium Density Fiberboard |
| title_short | Effect of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles on the Physical Properties of Medium Density Fiberboard |
| title_sort | effect of iron oxide nanoparticles on the physical properties of medium density fiberboard |
| topic | natural fiber composite physical properties curing temperature SEM XRD EDS |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/12/2911 |
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