Transparent wood could soon replace plastics
Oct 2022, phys.org
"Transparent wood as a material can replace the environmentally harmful petroleum-based plastics such as polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylic, polyethylene, etc."Originally fabricated in 1992 by German scientist Siegfried Fink and since improved upon by other researchers, transparent wood is made by removing the lignin content in wood and replacing it with transparent, plastic materials."Plastics are used as a substitute for glass which is (naturally) fragile. However, transparent wood is an even better alternative from an ecological perspective as observed in our life-cycle analysis."
via Indian Institute of Technology: Rohit Rai et al, Life cycle assessment of transparent wood production using emerging technologies and strategic scale-up framework, Science of The Total Environment (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157301
Image credit: AI Art - Sculptor Sculpture - 2024
Lignin nanoparticles: A sustainable recipe for combining cellulose with hydrophobic polymers for advanced applications
Nov 2022, phys.org
They use polycaprolactone as a compatabilizer.
We're really just here for the word - compatabilizer
via Aalto University in Finalnd: Erfan Kimiaei et al, Lignin Nanoparticles as an Interfacial Modulator in Tough and Multi‐Resistant Cellulose–Polycaprolactone Nanocomposites Based on a Pickering Emulsions Strategy, Advanced Materials Interfaces (2022). DOI: 10.1002/admi.202200988
How wood is making a comeback in construction
Jan 2024, phys.org
"Mass timber" is a category of engineered wood product.
The most recent version of the International Building Code included a construction type in buildings up to 18 stories. A record-setting 25-story-tall hybrid mass timber and concrete building has been built in Wisconsin, and Utah has a five-story building under construction in Draper.
via University of Utah: Emily Williamson et al, Design and Cyclic Experiments of a Mass Timber Frame with a Timber Buckling Restrained Brace, Journal of Structural Engineering (2023). DOI: 10.1061/JSENDH.STENG-12363
Researchers develop 3D-printed wood from its own natural components
Mar 2024, phys.org
The additive-free, water-based ink made of lignin and cellulose can be used to produce architecturally intricate wood structures via a 3D printing technique known as direct ink writing.The payoff not only exhibited close similarities to natural wood in texture but also in scent and strength, and mechanical tests revealed compressive and bending strengths that surpassed those of natural balsa wood.
via Rice University: Md Shajedul Hoque Thakur et al, Three-dimensional printing of wood, Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk3250
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