InventWood is poised to disrupt the building construction ecosystem. Its new Superwood product has amazing strength and sustainability. Later this summer, the company plans to start up commercial-scale production of Superwood. This futuristic material has 50% tensile strength than steel, and a strength to weight ratio that exceeds conventional steel by a factor of ten.
Superwood is made from common lumber, which consists mostly of cellulose, which provides the robust structure, and lignin. Now, materials scientist Liangbing Hu from the University of Maryland has developed a way to amplify timber’s innate characteristics. He accomplished this breakthrough by using cutting-edge technology. The cellulose nanocrystals embedded throughout Superwood are significantly stronger than carbon fiber, showcasing the material’s promise for use in everything from construction to lighter vehicles.
Superwood’s patented production process has been substantially refined since its original debut at Milan Design Week in 2018. Hu dedicated years to perfecting the technology, successfully reducing the production time from over a week to just a few hours. This simplified form drastically increases efficiency, helping to prevent future harm. It forms additional bonds when it sets, resulting in a material that is 10 times stronger than we thought it would be.
According to Alex Lau, CEO of InventWood, the environmental benefits of Superwood are significant. This is imperative, given that concrete and steel comprise about 90% of a building’s carbon impact. InventWood is committed to providing a sustainable replacement for these commodity materials. The first products that make use of Superwood will be facade materials with a wide application on commercial and high-end, exclusive residential buildings.
Lau elaborated on the unique properties of Superwood, stating, “The cellulose nanocrystal is actually stronger than a carbon fiber.” He further explained the enhanced strength capabilities: “We might densify the material by 4x and you might think, ‘Oh, it’ll be four times strong, because it has four times the fiber.’ It’s actually more like 10-times stronger because of all these extra bonds that get created.”
At the moment, this company out of North Carolina is looking to make skin applications from its first-of-a-kind commercial plant, which is on a smaller scale. Now as production continues to increase, the Rockport team is aiming high to prove themselves as an industry leader in sustainable and environmentally friendly building materials.