It sounds just like the stuff of science fiction, but it surely really comes from a lab in Maryland.
In 2018, Liangbing Hu, a supplies scientist on the College of Maryland, had devised a way to show atypical wooden into a fabric stronger than metal. It appeared like one more headline grabbing discovery that wouldn’t make it out of the lab.
“All these folks got here to him,” mentioned Alex Lau, CEO of InventWood, “He’s like, OK, that is wonderful, however I’m a college professor. I don’t know fairly what to do about it.”
Somewhat than quit, Hu spent the subsequent few years refining the know-how, lowering the time it took to make the fabric from greater than per week to some hours. Quickly, it was able to commercialize, and he licensed the know-how to InventWood.
Now, the startup’s first batches of Superwood will probably be produced beginning this summer time.
“Proper now, popping out of the this first-of-a-kind business plant — so it’s a smaller plant — we’re targeted on pores and skin purposes,” Lau mentioned. “Ultimately we need to get to the bones of the constructing. Ninety % of the carbon impression from buildings is concrete and metal within the development of the constructing.”
To construct the manufacturing unit, InventWood has raised $15 million within the first shut of a Sequence A spherical. The spherical was led by the Grantham Basis with participation from Baruch Future Ventures, Builders VC, and Muus Local weather Companions, the corporate completely instructed TechCrunch.
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InventWood’s Superwood product begins with common timber, which is generally composed of two compounds, cellulose and lignin. The objective is to strengthen the cellulose already current within the wooden. “The cellulose nanocrystal is definitely stronger than a carbon fiber,” Lau mentioned.
The corporate treats it with “meals business” chemical substances to change the lignin within the wooden, he mentioned, after which compresses the outcome to extend the hydrogen bonds between cellulose molecules.
“We’d densify the fabric by 4x and also you would possibly assume, ‘Oh, it’ll be 4 instances sturdy, as a result of it has 4 instances the fiber.’ But it surely’s really extra like 10-times stronger due to all these further bonds that get created,” Lau mentioned.
The result’s a fabric that has 50% extra tensile power than metal with a strength-to-weight ratio that’s ten-times higher, the corporate mentioned. It’s additionally Class A hearth rated, or extremely proof against flame, and proof against rot and pests. With some polymer impregnated, it may be stabilized for outside use like siding, decking, or roofing. InventWood’s first merchandise will probably be facade supplies for business and high-end residential buildings, Lau mentioned.
Compressing the fabric additionally concentrates the colours. “You find yourself with one thing that appears like these richer, tropical hardwoods,” he added.
In the end, InventWood is planning to make use of wooden chips to create structural beams of any dimension that gained’t want ending. “Think about your I-beams appear to be this,” Lau mentioned, holding up a pattern of Superwood. “They’re lovely, like walnut, ipe. These are the pure colours. We haven’t stained any of this.”