Superwood
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Superwood is an engineered wood invented by Liangbing Hu at the University of Maryland, College Park in 2018. Superwood is created by removing the lignin from natural wood using a chemical process, followed by 150°F hot pressing the remaining cellulose structure, making it five times thinner. Hu started a company InventWood in Maryland to commercialize the product. Superwood could make faster growing softwoods a more viable building material over slower growing hardwoods, while being more environmentally friendly. The material could transform industries such as automotive, airplanes, building materials, furniture, and any industry where steel is used now.[1][2][3]
Advantages
- Strength-to-weight ratio 10x stronger than steel
- Higher toughness 10x than the original wood
- Fire-resistant
- Moisture resistant
- Termite resistant
- Fungus resistant
- Decomposition resistant
- Better compression and bending strength
- Tensile strength 50% greater than steel[4]
See also
- Wood preservation
- List of woods
- Ascent MKE - mass timber hybrid high-rise apartment building in Milwaukee
- Janka hardness test
- Carbon-fiber reinforced polymer
- Titanium alloys
- Computational materials science
- Nanocellulose
References
- ^ "'Superwood' that's 50% stronger than steel is coming this year".
- ^ Aiello, Chloe (14 May 2025). "This Startup Invented Wood That's Stronger Than Steel. Here's How". Inc.
- ^ "What is 'Super Wood'? New material strong as steel nears mass production". Newsweek. 14 May 2025.
- ^ Diaz, Jesus (16 May 2025). "This 'Superwood' is stronger than steel. It's coming to a building near you". Fast Company.