The potential using of organic nanoparticles synthesized from Gmelina (Gmelina arborea Roxb.) wood bark as nanofiller of wood adhesive: physical, chemical and thermal properties

Abstract

Gmelina (Gmelina arborea Roxb.) is one of several species of wood found in the community forest that grows in Indonesia, especially in the West Java province. To obtain maximum benefit results from the community forest, more than timber needs to be used. Scientists need to find alternative uses for the wood bark waste. The objective of this research was to study the characteristics of organic nanoparticles produced from Gmelina wood bark (GWB), using a conventional balls milling method. GWB an organic waste material from the community forest was converted into nanoparticles using a conventional balls milling method for 96 h and was then filtered using four sieve types (T77, T90, T120 and T200). The nanoparticle was characterized and studied for its particle size, morphology and particle size, chemical components, functional groups and crystallinity using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning electron microscopy that extended with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The nanoparticle sizes measured using TEM analysis was less than 100 nm, produced from T90 sieve type, whereas based on a SEM analysis was found to be 104–254 nm, 71–104 nm, 33–47 nm and 33–38 nm; produced from T77, T90, T120 and T200 sieve types, respectively. The proportions of nanoparticle sizes were 11.2%, 82.9%, 3.5% and 0.6%; produced from T77, T90, T120 and T200 sieve types, respectively, and the remaining (1.8%) nanoparticles was retained on T77 sieve type. The chemical components obtained from SEM–EDS analysis were carbon, oxygen, potassium and calcium. The FTIR analysis shows the presence of C–O–C in plane and symmetric band at 829 cm⁻¹ in the nanoparticle produced from T200 sieve type, while there is no C–O–C from the nanoparticle produced from T77, T90 and T120 sieve types. The crystalline structure obtained from XRD analysis found was calcium oxalate hydrate (C₂CaO₄·H₂O) with crystalline diameter size of 20 nm. This result is similar, either produced by T77 or T200 sieve types.