Abstract: Performance of homemade modified azodicarbonamide(AC) foaming agent in PVC/wood composites was studied using differential scanning calorimeter. It was shown that the decomposition temperature of modified AC foaming agent was in the range from 165 ℃ to 187 ℃. Compared with the traditional AC foaming agent, the decomposition temperature was reduced by 40 ℃ and peak exothermic was also reduced about 39.5 ％. The average gas evolution of modified AC was 189 mL/mg .When 1.2 phr modified AC foaming agent was used, fine and uniform pores were obtained, which was witnessed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs. Compared with un-foamed PVC/wood composites, the impact strength of foamed composites increased by 34.6 % and apparent density decreased by 22.5 %

Key words: mechanical properties, poly(vinyl chloride), azodicarbonamide, wood-plastic composite, foaming agent, modification