Soft x-ray spectromicroscopy of wood fibre composites

Understanding the structural properties of wood fibre composites, widely used in building and other applications, is an important area of research in devising robust new materials for a range of environmental conditions, including those encountered in developing countries. Wood fibre composites are prepared by mixing fibres with prescribed amounts of glue, but exactly where the glue distributes in relation to the fibre components is unclear. Characterisation of the bonding conditions has largely been a matter of trial and error, which is time consuming and imprecise. In soft x-ray spectromicroscopy experiments carried out at the NSLS, a range of wood fibre composites, with different glues and glue loadings, was studied in order to attempt to quantify the relative glue content in different components of the composite.