The development of sustainable wood adhesives from renewable resources is crucial to mitigate the environmental impact of conventional petroleum-based counterparts. Herein, we report a facile, one-pot synthetic route with 100% atom economy for converting palm oil (PO) into high-performance adhesives, successfully demonstrating their application in formaldehyde-free plywood. PO-based adhesive with reactive C═C bonds was formulated through a streamlined process. The process involved the aminolysis of PO with diethanolamine (DEA) and subsequent functionalization with isocyanatoethyl methacrylate (IEM), which proceeded without generating waste and required no purification steps. Through free-radical polymerization, the optimized thermosetting adhesives achieved a tensile strength of 28.5 MPa, a glass transition temperature of 113.2 °C, a shear strength of 4.4 MPa on bamboo, and superior thermal stability. Furthermore, the adhesive meets the processing viscosity and curing temperature requirements necessary for the plywood industry, and the adhesive exhibited a robust wet shear strength of 1.41 MPa after hot-water immersion. This is attributed to the abundant hydrogen bonds within the adhesive and the robust interfacial interaction between the adhesive and the wood surface. Overall, these results highlight the potential of PO-derived adhesives as high-performance, environmentally friendly alternatives in wood-composite manufacturing.
Wang et al. (2026) studied this question.