This is a type of wood that is bulletproof.

A new type of wood could usher in a new era of green materials that is both environmentally friendly and durable enough to replace steel in construction and manufacturing.

InventWood 's wood has been structurally modified. Photo: InventWood .

Six years after engineers at the University of Maryland (USA) discovered a method to make natural wood 12 times harder and 10 times more durable, the company InventWood has officially commercialized a product called Superwood. The company expects this material to be able to compete directly with steel or even titanium alloys in construction and industry.

In a study published in the journal Nature in 2018, Professor Liangbing Hu's team described it as “a simple yet effective strategy to transform natural wood into a high-performance structural material with ten times greater strength, toughness, and bulletproofing.” They believe that improving the structure of wood at the molecular level could usher in a new generation of green materials for the world .

Superwood is created by removing the lignin, the compound that gives wood its natural brown color and strength, and then compressing the remaining material at temperatures of around 66°C. During this process, the cellulose fibers are compressed so tightly that imperfections such as knots and voids are crushed, creating a structure that is five times denser and thinner than the original.

The pressure causes the wood fibers to form super-strong hydrogen bonds, allowing the material to withstand strong impacts, even partially stopping a bullet in the test.

Professor Liangbing Hu, co-founder of InventWood and now a materials scientist at Yale University, said Superwood could achieve the same strength as carbon fiber but at a significantly lower price. He said fast-growing softwoods like pine and balsa could replace rare woods like those used in furniture. Further, this type of wood could be used in the production of cars, airplanes and large-scale architectural works.

InventWood's first commercial plant is located in Frederick, Maryland. According to CNN , the company plans to focus on outdoor products such as wood flooring, then expand into interior furniture and building components. Although the current production process still consumes more energy and costs than conventional wood, InventWood says the carbon footprint of Superwood is up to 90% lower than steel production.

However, experts say the biggest challenge for this new material is the cautious mentality of the construction industry. Philip Oldfield, an architect at the University of New South Wales (Australia), said that this industry is "risk-averse and very slow to change". According to him, for the new generation of wood materials to become truly popular, there needs to be pilot projects, training programs and a suitable legal framework.

Source: https://znews.vn/day-la-loai-go-co-kha-nang-chong-dan-post1598290.html