Present article demonstrates a viable method of modification of mango wood (MW) through reactive reinforcement of polyacrylonitrile (PAN). Reactive reinforcement of PAN was conducted through sewlling of MW planks (moisture content: 2.5%) into methanolic solution of acrylonitrile (AN, 20-60%,v/v) supplemented with 2,2-azobisisobutyronitrile (.0% w/v) at 30 ± 0C over 48h followed by curing of planks at 80 ± 0C over subsequent 3h.This has afforded a series of wood polymer composites (WPCs) with PAN loading (%) in the range of 5.5 to 5.5. Formation of WPCs was ascertained through scanning electron microscopy. With loading of PAN, WPCs has shown enhanced mechanical durability with improved resistance against organic , hydrolytic media and a decay fungus Coriolous Versicolor. The proposed method of reactive reinforcement of PAN offers a viable way of modification of MW making this suitable for development of durable furniture and building components. Modification of wood through reinforcing polymer materials has received grow
ing attention since decades. This has been in attempt to develop the viable substitute for plastics and steel components in construction applications. The developed products were popularized as wood plastic composites (WPCs) by North Americans. Leo H. Arthur Baekeland was supposed to pioneer in development of WPCs through blending wood flour with a phenolic resin around early 20th century. In subsequent years, American Wood Stocks from North America had accelerated the production and commercialization of WPCs panels for automotive applications. This has made a tremendous industrial growth in wood plastic composites from North America to Europe and Asia as a low-maintenance, high-durability product. Such panels were derived through implication of Italian technology of extrusion wherein wood floor was extruded with equal weight fraction of polypropylene. Around 960s, Mayer, in interest to enhance the compatibility of wood flour with polymer component , has introduced coupling agents during processing of moulds of WPCs [-2].