Characterization of phenol-urea-formaldehyde resin by infine FTIR spectroscopy

Phenol-urea-formaldehyde (PUF) resins were synthesized by a two-step polymerization process. The first step was the synthesis of 2,4,6-trimethylolphenol (TMeP) from phenol and formaldehyde, under alkaline conditions. In the second step PUF resins were synthesized by the reaction of TMeP with urea, under acidic and alkaline conditions. The influence of temperature on the synthesis of TMeP was investigated. The molar ratio between TMeP and urea was varied to study the composition effect on the second step of the PUF synthesis and final product properties. Synthesis of TMeP and PUF resins were monitored by inline FTIR-ATR system. Analytical methods, such as differential scanning calorimetry, nuclear magnetic resonance, thermogravimetric analysis, and infrared spectroscopy were used for characterization of TMeP and PUF resins. Obtained PUF resins were cured and tested on flexural strength.