Preparation and structural characterization of melamine–methylurea–formaldehyde resin and its blends separately with ethyl cellulose, starch, teakwood, and almond shell powders by 13C NMR, IR, TGA, and SEM techniques

Melamine–methylurea–formaldehyde (MMUF) polymer resin was prepared by condensation polymerization and the molecular weight was determined by viscometry. It was blended with dried starch and ethyl cellulose, and cellulose and hemicellulose‐rich teakwood and lignocellulose‐rich almond shell dried powders separately. The structural characterization of resin with 13C NMR and IR spectroscopy, and morphological studies on the resin and blends were undertaken with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The micrographs of the starch and ethyl cellulose have found resemblance with pure resin while teakwood and almond powders have been found to differ in structure from starch and ethyl cellulose due to crack masks in the bulk structure. The different weight loss at different temperatures of the blends was observed, which proves that blending materials do control the weight loss of resin with TGA or curing.