Lightweight, strong, moldable wood via cell wall engineering as a sustainable structural material
Abstract
Turning wood into honeycombs Wood is an attractive material for structural applications, but it usually works best as boards or sheets. Xiao et al . have developed a process for engineering hardwood that allows these sheets to be manipulated into complex structures (see the Perspective by Tajvidi and Gardner). The key is to manipulate the cell wall structure by shrinking and blasting open the fibers and vessels by drying and “water-shocking” them. This process creates a window wherein the wood can be manipulated without ripping or tearing. Honeycomb, corrugated, or other complex structures are locked in once the wood dries. —BG
Reference
Shaoliang Xiao; Chaoji Chen; Qinqin Xia; Yu Liu; Yuan Yao; Qiongyu Chen; Matt Hartsfield; Alexandra Brozena; Kunkun Tu; Stephen J. Eichhorn; Yonggang Yao; Jianguo Li; Wentao Gan; Sheldon Q. Shi; Vina W. Yang; Marco Lo Ricco; J.Y. Zhu; Ingo Burgert; Alan Luo; Teng Li; Liangbing Hu. (2021). Lightweight, strong, moldable wood via cell wall engineering as a sustainable structural material. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abg9556
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