Urea-formaldehyde resin penetration into Pinus radiata tracheid walls assessed by TEM-EDXS

Abstract

Abstract This paper reports a new method of detecting urea-formaldehyde (UF) resin penetration into the cell walls of radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in combination with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). The quantifications of penetrated UF resin in the ultrathin cuts of cell walls were realized by detecting nitrogen (N) element by TEM-EDXS. Both line scan and area mapping revealed N in cell walls in contact with resin-filled lumens but not in those in contact with empty lumens. Thus, UF resin had penetrated the cell walls from the lumen side.