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The hydrophilicity and flammability of fiberboards have limited their real-life applications. In this study, a facile strategy for preparing the multifunctional coatings with superhydrophobicity and flame retardancy on medium density fiberboards (MDFs) has been investigated. The superhydrophobic and flame-retardant coating on the MDF surface was obtained by depositing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane (FDTS)-modified Mg/Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) particles step by step. The as-prepared coating exhibited superhydrophobic properties with a water contact angle (WCA) of ~155° and good self-cleaning properties. Furthermore, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of the superhydrophobic MDFs increased by 60.4% as compared to that of the pristine MDFs, showing improved flame retardancy. The peak heat release rate (PHRR) and total heat release (THR) of MDFs decreased after coating with PDMS@FDTS-Mg/Al LDH, suggesting that the superhydrophobic coating decreased the fire growth speed and risk of fire hazard of MDFs. This coating with multiple functions opens a new avenue for the protection and functionalization of MDFs.

Although widely used in nanocomposites, the effect of embedding graphene in carbonized nanolignocellulose substrates is less clear. We added graphene to a carbonized nanolignocellulose to change its mechanical and electromechanical properties. Here, the laminated carbonized nanolignocellulose/graphene composites were fabricated by carbonizing the nanolignocellulose/graphene composites prepared through mechanochemistry and flow-directed assembly process. The resulting composites exhibit excellent mechanical property with the ultimate bending strength of 25.6 ± 4.2 MPa. It is observed reversible electrical resistance change in these composites with strain, which is associated with the tunneling conduction model. This type of high-strength conductive composite has great potential applications in load-bearing electromechanical sensors.

A novel composite composed of lignocellulose (LC), glutaraldehyde crosslinked chitosan (GC) and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) was fabricated by the hot-pressing process. The effect of the additional GC and MWCNT on the mechanical strength, dimensional stability and fire retardancy of lignocellulose composites was investigated. The results showed that LC/GC/MWCNT composite exhibited the maximum modulus of rupture (MOR) of 35.3 MPa, modulus of elasticity (MOE) of 2789.1 MPa and internal bonding (IB) strength of 1.2 MPa. Meanwhile, the LC/GC/MWCNT composite displayed improved dimensional stability with a thickness swelling (TS) value of 22.4%. Besides, the LC/GC/MWCNT composite exhibited improved fire retardancy with a limiting oxygen index of 29.0%. The peak heat release rate, the total heat release, the total smoke production and the maximum smoke production ratio of LC/GC/MWCNT composite decreased by 15.9%, 10.7%, 45.5% and 20.7% compared with those of LC composite, respectively. Therefore, the LC/GC/MWCNT composite may be a promising candidate for green wood based composites.