High-Performance, Formaldehyde-Free Particleboard for Sustainable Housing: Process Optimization of Halloysite Nanotube-Reinforced Isocyanate Adhesives

Ma, Wenrui; Song, Feifei; Zhang, Wenjie; Fang, Dan; Wang, Wenzhao; Zhang, Jijuan

doi:10.3390/su18105123

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High-Performance, Formaldehyde-Free Particleboard for Sustainable Housing: Process Optimization of Halloysite Nanotube-Reinforced Isocyanate Adhesives

by

Wenrui Ma

^1,2,†,

Feifei Song

^1,3,†,

Wenjie Zhang

¹,

Dan Fang

¹,

Wenzhao Wang

¹ and

Jijuan Zhang

^1,*

¹

College of Furnishings and Art Design, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China

²

Vgreen Smart Home Co., Ltd., Foshan 528000, China

³

Hunan Institute of Product Quality Inspection, Changsha 410004, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Sustainability 2026, 18(10), 5123; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105123

Submission received: 29 March 2026 / Revised: 13 May 2026 / Accepted: 15 May 2026 / Published: 19 May 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Homes of Tomorrow: Innovations in Materials and Design)

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Abstract

This study aims to develop a high-performance, formaldehyde-free particleboard for sustainable housing using halloysite nanotube (HNT)-reinforced isocyanate adhesive. HNTs were incorporated into the isocyanate matrix via magnetic stirring followed by mechanical mixing, with loading levels systematically optimized from 0 to 3.0 wt%. Particleboard panels were fabricated and tested according to standard procedures. The optimal HNT loading was found to be 1.5 wt%. Compared with panels bonded with unmodified adhesive, those fabricated with the optimized HNT-reinforced adhesive exhibited significantly enhanced performance: surface bonding strength increased by 71.79% (to 2.01 MPa), internal bonding strength by 54.35% (to 0.71 MPa), modulus of rupture by 107.53% (to 19.3 MPa), modulus of elasticity by 59.95% (to 3191 MPa), and the 2 h water absorption thickness swelling rate decreased by 95.83% (to 0.1%). These results demonstrate that the optimized dispersion process and HNT loading are critical for achieving superior adhesive performance, providing a viable pathway toward high-performance, formaldehyde-free particleboard for sustainable housing.

Keywords: formaldehyde-free particleboard; high-performance; halloysite nanotubes (HNTs); isocyanate adhesive; process optimization; methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI)

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ma, W.; Song, F.; Zhang, W.; Fang, D.; Wang, W.; Zhang, J. High-Performance, Formaldehyde-Free Particleboard for Sustainable Housing: Process Optimization of Halloysite Nanotube-Reinforced Isocyanate Adhesives. Sustainability 2026, 18, 5123. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105123

AMA Style

Ma W, Song F, Zhang W, Fang D, Wang W, Zhang J. High-Performance, Formaldehyde-Free Particleboard for Sustainable Housing: Process Optimization of Halloysite Nanotube-Reinforced Isocyanate Adhesives. Sustainability. 2026; 18(10):5123. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105123

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ma, Wenrui, Feifei Song, Wenjie Zhang, Dan Fang, Wenzhao Wang, and Jijuan Zhang. 2026. "High-Performance, Formaldehyde-Free Particleboard for Sustainable Housing: Process Optimization of Halloysite Nanotube-Reinforced Isocyanate Adhesives" Sustainability 18, no. 10: 5123. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105123

APA Style

Ma, W., Song, F., Zhang, W., Fang, D., Wang, W., & Zhang, J. (2026). High-Performance, Formaldehyde-Free Particleboard for Sustainable Housing: Process Optimization of Halloysite Nanotube-Reinforced Isocyanate Adhesives. Sustainability, 18(10), 5123. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18105123

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High-Performance, Formaldehyde-Free Particleboard for Sustainable Housing: Process Optimization of Halloysite Nanotube-Reinforced Isocyanate Adhesives

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