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Polymers
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Advances in Wood and Wood Polymer Composites
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Advances in Wood and Wood Polymer Composites

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 708

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Antonios Papadopoulos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Wood Chemistry and Technology, Department of Forestry and Natural Environment, Democritus University of Thrace, GR-66100 Drama, Greece
Interests: wood; wood composites; lignocellulosic materials; chemical and thermal modification technologies; nanotechnology and nanomaterilas; adhesives
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fibrous nature of wood has made it one of the most appropriate and versatile raw materials for various uses. However, two properties restrict its wider use: namely, its dimensional changes when subjected to fluctuating humidity conditions and its susceptibility to biodegradation caused by micro-organisms. Wood can be modified chemically or thermally so that selected properties are enhanced in a more or less permanent fashion. Another option for improving these properties is to exploit solutions that nanotechnology can offer. The nanoparticles of nanotechnology compounds are small enough to deeply penetrate the wood, effectively altering its surface chemistry and resulting in high levels of protection against moisture and decay. In addition, the use of lignocellulosic materials for the production of advanced wood composites is an innovative avenue for research.

This Special Issue seeks high-quality works and topics focusing on (among others) the latest approaches to the protection of wood and wood polymer composites with chemical or thermal modification technologies, the applications of nanomaterials in wood science, the application of carbon fiber fabrics, and the use of lignocellulosic materials for the production of advanced wood polymer composites.

Prof. Dr. Antonios Papadopoulos
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • wood
  • wood polymer composites
  • lignocellulosic composites
  • chemical or thermal modification
  • nanotechnology and nanomaterials

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2790 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Water-Resistant Adhesive Prepared by Cross-Linking Reaction of Oxidized Starch with Lignin
by Chengyuan Liu, Huali Lin, Shichao Zhang, Hisham Essawy, Hongyan Wang, Longxu Wu, Xinyi Chen, Xiaojian Zhou, Antonios N. Papadopoulos, Antonio Pizzi and Ming Cao
Polymers 2025, 17(11), 1545; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17111545 - 1 Jun 2025
Viewed by 403
Abstract
Wood adhesives play a critical role in the wood processing industry; however, traditional formaldehyde-based adhesives pose health risks and are reliant on non-renewable resources. This study aims to develop a bio-based wood adhesive with excellent water resistance, focusing on environmentally friendly solutions. The [...] Read more.
Wood adhesives play a critical role in the wood processing industry; however, traditional formaldehyde-based adhesives pose health risks and are reliant on non-renewable resources. This study aims to develop a bio-based wood adhesive with excellent water resistance, focusing on environmentally friendly solutions. The synthesis of an oxidized starch-lignin (OSTL) composite adhesive was accomplished by modifying starch via oxidation and subsequent cross-linking with lignin. Ammonium persulfate (APS) was employed for oxidation of starch, introducing aldehyde groups that upgrade its reactivity with lignin. Subsequently, the oxidized starch (OST) was cross-linked with the phenolic rings of lignin, resulting in a strong network structure. The oxidation of starch and its cross-linking mechanism with lignin were investigated using the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques, proving the formation of aldehyde and carboxyl groups with subsequent reaction possibilities. The effects of oxidant dosage, oxidation time, and the ratio of starch to lignin on the adhesive properties were systematically studied. The results demonstrated that the OSTL adhesive, prepared under optimized conditions, exhibited outstanding adhesion strength (1.23 MPa in dry state) and water resistance (0.94 MPa after 24 h cold water immersion, 1.04 MPa after 3 h in hot water, and 0.69 MPa after 3 h in boiling water), significantly outperforming conventional wood adhesives in terms of cold water, hot water, and boiling water resistance. In addition, the thermal behavior of the OSTL adhesive was further validated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) as well as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). This study presents new insights and technical support for the development of green, environmentally friendly, and highly water-resistant lignin-based bio-adhesives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Wood and Wood Polymer Composites)
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19 pages, 6754 KiB  
Article
New Challenges in Assessment of the Acoustic Properties of Coating Polymers
by Mariana Domnica Stanciu, Maria Violeta Guiman and Silviu Marian Năstac
Polymers 2025, 17(10), 1418; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17101418 - 21 May 2025
Viewed by 165
Abstract
The study presented in this paper investigates the influence of coating polymers on the acoustic properties of resonant spruce wood. It evaluates absorption, acoustic reflection, and resonance frequency spectrum characteristics in both unvarnished and varnished samples, with the interface between the coating polymer [...] Read more.
The study presented in this paper investigates the influence of coating polymers on the acoustic properties of resonant spruce wood. It evaluates absorption, acoustic reflection, and resonance frequency spectrum characteristics in both unvarnished and varnished samples, with the interface between the coating polymer and the wood modifying the acoustic response. The novelty of the research consists in evaluating the acoustic and dynamic parameters of resonant spruce wood boards, varnished with varnishes with different chemical properties (oil-based varnish, spirit varnish, nitrocellulose varnish). The study focuses on the influence of the type of varnish and the thickness of the varnish film on the frequency spectrum, damping coefficient, quality factor, acoustic absorption coefficient, and sound reflection. The sound absorption coefficient increases with the number of varnish layers and is influenced by the sound’s frequency range, the type of varnish, and the quality of the wood—factors that collectively enhance acoustic performance. For instance, oil-based varnish applied in 5 or 10 layers contributes to a fuller sound at a frequency of 1.5 kHz. In contrast, spirit varnish, which has a lower acoustic absorption coefficient at this frequency, and a reduced damping coefficient, can lead to a nasal tone, although the frequency spectrum turns out to have the richest. Applying more than 10 layers of varnish softens the sound when using oil-based varnish but sharpens it with spirit varnish on resonant wood. Thus, the acoustic performance of a soundboard can be tailored by selecting the appropriate varnishing system and number of layers applied. However, a detailed analysis of the timbre of musical instruments finished with these varnishes is necessary to confirm their influence on the acoustic quality of the instruments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Wood and Wood Polymer Composites)
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