https://newatlas.com/materials/self-densified-wood/
"A team from China's Nanjing University recently set out to address that shortcoming, by developing the new process.
It begins by boiling a block of wood in a mixture of sodium hydroxide (lye) and sodium sulfite, removing some of the lignin. That block is then immersed in a heated blend of lithium chloride salt and a solvent known as dimethylacetamide. This causes the cellulose (and remaining lignin) to swell, expanding inwards to fill the lumen.
In a final step, the processed wood is left to air-dry at room temperature for 10 hours. As it does so, it uniformly shrinks inwards from all sides, but maintains its original length."
Wood is 4 times stronger after new self-densified method
byu/Booty_PIunderer inFuturology
6 Comments
I think this will solve the shrinking and expanding of my wooden doors and windows, which basically creates a lot of gaps and tightness depending on seasons.
What kind of wood will this work? Because teak when it’s fully cured, it doesn’t expand or shrink. But for example neem wood, nothing matters, it will keep shrinking and expanding every year.
Are any of these chemicals cancer-causing, classified as “forever chemicals”, or involve either of these types in the production process.
I don’t think the problem with wood is the strength. It’s the permeability. which the nords have done amazing things with their “pickling process” and another “heat modified wood.” Woods like Accoya, Kebony, lunawood. The most efficient means of creating structural members is to use a LSL or LVL method of shredding into wood shards and pressing them with a wood glue. LSL’s are around 5 times stronger than typically wood studs and is a much more efficient use of the raw material.
Seems like china has really taken over as the leader in technological progression lately since the USA is too busy speedrunning total collapse
NileRed had a video discussing sorta on the same lines as this, but the paper he followed required pressing the wood and allowing it to dry: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CglNRNrMFGM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CglNRNrMFGM)
> . As it does so, it uniformly shrinks inwards from all sides, but maintains its original length.”
Shrinks from the longest side while maintaining length? The technology has become truly impressive