Moldable wood is a strong and flexible cellulose-based material. Moldable wood can be folded into different shapes without breaking or snapping. The patented synthesis is based on the deconstruction and softening of the wood's lignin, then re-swelling the material in a rapid "water-shock" process that produces a wrinkled cell wall structure. The result of this unique structure is a flexible wood material that can be molded or folded, with the final shape locked in plate by simple air-drying. This discovery broadens the potential applications of wood as a sustainable structural material. This research, which was a collaborative effort between the University of Maryland, Yale University, Ohio State University, USDA Forest Service, University of Bristol, University of North Texas, ETH Zurich, and the Center for Materials Innovation,[1] was published on the cover of Science in October 2021.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Center for Materials Innovation". www.cmi.umd.edu.
- ^ Xiao, Shaoliang; Chen, Chaoji; Xia, Qinqin; Liu, Yu; Yao, Yuan; Chen, Qiongyu; Hartsfield, Matt; Brozena, Alexandra; Tu, Kunkun; Eichhorn, Stephen J.; Yao, Yonggang; Li, Jianguo; Gan, Wentao; Shi, Sheldon Q.; Yang, Vina W.; Lo Ricco, Marco; Zhu, J.Y.; Burgert, Ingo; Luo, Alan; Li, Teng; Hu, Liangbing (October 22, 2021). "Lightweight, strong, moldable wood via cell wall engineering as a sustainable structural material". Science. 374 (6566): 465–471. Bibcode:2021Sci...374..465X. doi:10.1126/science.abg9556. hdl:1983/42254c72-9df6-4b0f-b7ce-2f1da2ea48ff. PMID 34672741. S2CID 239455815.
 | This article about materials science is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |