Wood composites used in indoor living environments often pose formaldehyde emission and fire hazard problems. In this study, magnesium oxychloride cement-based (MOC) inorganic adhesives are presented as an effective and sustainable binder for plywood applications. The phase composition, microstructure, and thermal stability of the adhesives prepared with different ratios of MgO/MgCl₂ were investigated. In addition, the dry and wet shear strength and the combustion behavior of the plywood were also examined. The results indicated that the limiting oxygen index (LOI) values of the plywood bonded by the MOC adhesives were higher than those of the plywood bonded by urea-formaldehyde resin. The active MgO/MgCl₂ molar ratio of 7 was the optimal ratio for the dry and wet shear strength of the plywood with values of 1.02 and 0.88 MPa, respectively, which meet the interior use panel (Type II plywood) requirements. These improvements were ascribed to the increasing ratio of MgO/MgCl₂ that facilitated the formation of an excellent microstructure. Meanwhile, the continuous hydration phase strengthened the interaction between the MOC adhesive and the wood. With these improved properties, MOC adhesive is expected to be widely used for industrial applications in plywood fabrication.
Keywords: bonding strength; flame retardancy; inorganic adhesive; plywood; thermal stability.