Creating 'super wood' that's stronger than steel.

Wood - Photo 1.

InventWood has created a type of wood that is stronger than steel - Photo: INVENTWOOD

InventWood, a company co-founded by materials scientist Liangbing Hu, has just launched "Superwood," which has a specific strength (the ratio of the material's strength to its weight) that is up to 10 times greater than steel but up to 6 times lighter.

According to CNN on October 16, more than 10 years ago, Mr. Hu began researching ways to regenerate wood – one of humanity's oldest building materials. He discovered innovative methods for regenerating wood, including making it transparent.

However, his main goal was to make wood harder by using cellulose—the main component in plant fibers.

The first breakthrough came in 2017, when he increased the strength (hardness) of wood by chemically treating it to increase the amount of natural cellulose, making it a better building material.

First, the wood is boiled in a tank of water and chemicals, then hot-pressed to shrink at the cellular level, making the wood denser. After a week of processing, the resulting wood has a specific strength "higher than most metals and alloys".

Now, after years of perfecting the process and filing over 140 patents, Mr. Hu – currently a professor at Yale University (USA) – has launched "Superwood" onto the market.

InventWood claims that "Superwood" is up to 20 times more durable than regular wood and up to 10 times more resistant to warping. The wood is also less susceptible to mold and insect infestation. "Superwood" also has good fire resistance.

The downside is that this product is more expensive than conventional construction timber and has a higher carbon footprint. Compared to steel production, "Superwood" has up to 90% lower carbon emissions.

From a chemical and practical standpoint, "Superwood" is wood. This material will make current structures up to four times lighter, meaning they will be more earthquake-resistant, easier to work with, and construction will be faster and easier.

InventWood says it will take some time to scale up production. Currently, the company plans to focus on exterior applications such as cladding, before moving on to interior items like wall cladding, flooring, and home furnishings next year.

InventWood believes that the entire building could be constructed using "Superwood," although more testing is needed to achieve this.

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ANH THU

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/che-tao-sieu-go-ben-hon-thep-20251017121755199.htm