Maryland-based startup InventWood is set to mass-produce the first batches of "Superwood," a modified timber material stronger than steel and resistant to fire, rot, pests and weathering, TechCrunch reported.
In 2018, University of Maryland materials scientist Liangbing Hu devised a way to turn wood into a material stronger than steel.
Since then, Hu has fine-tuned the production process so it can be manufactured at scale in hours rather than weeks. The startup’s first batches of Superwood will be produced this summer, TechCrunch reported.
InventWood’s first products will be facade materials for commercial and residential buildings.
Superwood gets its strength by first boiling samples of wood in a watery mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfite, which works to partially remove lignin and hemicellulose from the material. Then, the treated wood is hot-pressed, which causes the cell walls to collapse and form highly aligned cellulose nanofibers.
The end result is a strength-to-weight ratio 10 times better than steel.
