Abstract
The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of biochemical modification of epoxy adhesive compounds on the mechanical properties of a cured adhesive exposed to various climatic factors. The epoxy adhesive was modified by lyophilized fungal metabolites and prepared by three methods. Additionally, the adhesive compound specimens were seasoned for two months at a temperature of 50 °C and 50% humidity in a climate test chamber, Espec SH 661. The tensile strength tests of the adhesive compounds were performed using a Zwick/Roell Z150 testing machine in compliance with the DIN EN ISO 527-1 standard. The examination of the adhesive specimens was performed using two microscopes: a LEO 912AB transmission electron microscope equipped with Quantax 200 for EDS X-ray spectroscopy and a Zeiss 510 META confocal microscope coupled to an AxioVert 200M. The experiments involved the use of a CT Skyscan 1172 tomograph. The results revealed that some mechanical properties of the modified adhesives were significantly affected by both the method of preparation of the adhesive compound and the content of the modifying agent. In addition, it was found that seasoning of the modified adhesives does not lead to a decrease in some of their mechanical properties.
Highlights
Image of the structure of the modified adhesive, while Figure 5 provides some information about the image of the structure of the modified adhesive, while Figure 5 provides some information about tested structure
Table of prepared to IMethod and subjected to Microscopic images of specimens specimens prepared according to Methods
The study investigating the properties of an adhesive modified with a lyophilized fungal formulation facilitated determination of certain mechanical properties of the modified and unmodified adhesives
Summary
The available literature provides information about the methods for modifying adhesive compounds [1,2,3,4,5,6] to obtain specific properties [7,8,9,10,11,12] and improve their adhesive properties (which are vital for producing adhesive joints) [7], e.g., by the addition of different modifiers such as nanofillers [13,14,15,16] and lignin fillers [17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26]. Wood-decaying fungi, white rot fungi, have attracted the interest of numerous researchers due to their remarkably effective biodegradation system [27,28,29,30,31]. Given their effective production of diverse secondary metabolites, e.g., enzymes such as laccase, which take part in the degradation of plant biopolymers, transformation processes for various kinds of aromatic derivatives, paper pulp bleaching, and the decomposition of dyes or removal of environment pollutants, these organisms have long been used in different areas of biotechnology [19].
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