txchnologist:High-Tech Wood: Research Unlocks Unexpected Products from Trees by Michael Keller The
txchnologist: High-Tech Wood: Research Unlocks Unexpected Products from Trees by Michael Keller The 21st century tree farm isn’t going to offer just the raw materials for paper, buildings and furniture. Technologies are starting to unlock new uses for trees–for biofuels, new chemicals and a product called nanocellulose, a carbohydrate building block of plants that might just be the next supermaterial. It turns out that trees have been deploying their own nanotechnology for millennia, growing nanocellulose as a major component of their trunks for strength and to resist wind and rain while minimizing weight. Individual particles are less than a thousandth the width of a sand grain–generally less than 500 nanometers long and 20 nanometers wide. After it has been processed from wood pulp using high temperature and pressure to liberate it, the material is light, stiff and strong, is biodegradable and is cheaper to produce than many advanced products developed in a lab. It also exhibits highly sought-after properties. Because it can add strength to materials in small enough quantities that allows light to pass through, the Army is looking at it as an additive for durable transparent composites. Others are investigating its use in applications from biocompatible implants and flexible displays and solar panels to better bioplastics, cosmetics and concrete. See a picture and learn more below. Keep reading -- source link
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