Artificial Wood

Scientists have created a new material that’s as strong as wood but more impervious to water and fire. Moreover, it doesn’t require years to grow!

The synthetic wood was created by freeze drying a solution of polymer resin containing a pinch of chitosan – a sugar derived from the hard, outer skeleton of shellfish. This yielded a structure of tiny pores and channels which was then cured at high temperatures (200 degrees Celsius or about 400 degrees Fahrenheit) to forge strong chemical bonds. The resulting material is as crush resistant as wood, but could be made even stronger through faster freeze drying and/or higher curing temperatures.

The samples maintained their strength even after being soaked in water and a strong acid bath for 30 days. Under similar conditions, samples of balsa wood lost two-thirds of their strength and 40 percent of their crush resistance. When exposed to fire, it was difficult to ignite, and it stopped burning when the flame was removed.

In addition to the obvious application as a building material, its ability to trap air might also make the mock wood effective as an insulator, while its high impact resistance would make it useful for containers and packaging.