TITLE:
Study of the Production and Characterization of the Physicochemical and Mechanical Properties of a Wood-Kaolin Composite: Case of the Tropical Wood Species Ayous
AUTHORS:
Armonic Harold Noubissi Fonkwa, Cyrille Ghislin Fotsop, Roland Urselin Noumsi Foko, Paul Alain Nanssou Kouteu, Thomas Djiako, Donald Raoul Tchuifon Tchuifon
KEYWORDS:
Composite, Physicochemical and Mechanical Properties, Wood, Clay
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering,
Vol.14 No.3,
May
29,
2026
ABSTRACT: This research highlights a non-exhaustive study of the production and characterization of the physico-chemical and mechanical properties of a unique wood-kaolin composite. XRD, FT-IR, and SEM-EDX analyses reveal that the clay composition is dominated by quartz and kaolinite, with particles arranged on either side in different shapes. The peaks present on the diffractogram of ayous wood sawdust are associated with planes attributed to the crystallographic plane of cellulose and show small fibers (microfibrils) that are generally made of cellulose and lignin, which make up the main component of the wood. As for the mechanical characterization, the panels PC (225.13 MPa), PB (189.53 MPa), and PH (182.83 MPa) exhibit the highest yield limits. The PH (269.46 MPa), PC (254.93 MPa), and PA (254.76 MPa) panels show the highest maximum strengths. The PH specimen (24.36 MPa) has the best ability to resist bending while maintaining its stiffness. Conversely, the PD specimen (15.70 MPa) has the lowest Young’s modulus.