FTIR and XPS study of the reaction of phenyl isocyanate and cellulose with different moisture contents

Purpose – To evaluate the competing reaction of isocyanate with cellulose and water which can provide direction for further studies on bonding and curing reactions of isocyanate with wood.Design/methodology/approach – Two modern analytical techniques, Fourier transform infra‐red (FTIR) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), were used. The FTIR was used to identify the products of the reaction of phenyl isocyanate (PI) with alcohol, water, and cellulose; while the XPS was used to evaluate the proportions of isocyanate that reacted with water or cellulose when PI reacted with cellulose at different moisture contents (MCs), respectively.Findings – Methods for the IR identifications of reaction results of PI with n‐propanol, water, and cellulose, in which the reactions of PI with water and PI with cellulose resulted in N,N′‐diphenylurea and carbamate, respectively, were developed. It was discovered that the extent of reaction of isocyanate and cellulose decreased with increasing cellulose MC, and 92.98 p...