A group of research scientists is rolling out new possibilities for wood … by rolling it up.
Forest Products Laboratory scientists have discovered a process to create a “foldable, moldable” wood that can be manipulated like origami, Science Magazine reported.
“The seemingly impossible task of molding solid wood is based on an understanding of fiber,” FPL Scientist Junyong Zhu stated in the report. “Hornification (increased hydrogen bonding) of delignified wood [with lignin removed] takes place after drying, making wood cells shrink. The partial reversibility of the hornification for mildly dried wood, after a ‘water shock’ to make the shrunken wood cells partially recover, results in easily foldable wood.”
Densified birchwood veneer hot-pressed into corrugated decking using aqueous phenolic adhesive. Photo by Marco Lo Ricco.FPL
There are still elements in the process that could create manufacturing challenges, according to FPL Research General Engineer Marco Lo Ricco.
“For example, veneers must be formed wet; therefore, shrinkage must be controlled while setting the laminating adhesives,” Lo Ricco stated. “Also, the differences in stiffness and strength are relative to parallel and perpendicular fiber directions and are more accentuated than untreated wood veneers.”
But no matter how you slice it—or fold it—the discovery opens up new, sustainable possibilities in manufacturing and wood.
