Organo-silane compounds in medium density fiberboard:physical and mechanical properties

We studied the effects of nanoparticles of organo-silane(NOS) compounds in the size range of20–80 nm on physical and mechanical properties in medium density fiberboard,and used NOS at four consumption levels of 0,50,100,and 150 g kg-1dry wood fibers.Density of all treatments was kept constant at 0.67 g cm-3.The water-repellent property of organo-silane significantly reduced water absorption(WA) and thickness swelling but mechanical properties declined due to the reduced proportion of wood-fiber as organo-silane was added to the matrix:the compression ratio of MDF panels and the integrity among wood-fibers both declined,resulting in reduced mechanical properties.We recommend use of 50 g of NOS/kg wood-fiber to improve WA and thickness swelling while retaining acceptable mechanical properties.