Wood has a unique hierarchically porous structure, with cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin as its main components. Such unique hierarchically porous structure and compositions make wood attractive in bio-based composite design. The regulation of its structure and compositions can improve wood’s properties and even introduce new functions. Wood naturally has two major functions - mechanical support and mass transport. These two functions are closely related to the survival and growth of wood: mechanical support enables wood to not only support its own weight, but also resist natural processes such as wind; while the transportation of water, minerals and nutrients is essential for photosynthesis. The multi-phase mass transport in wood is not only related to the living activities of trees, but also closely related to the ionic, electronic, and fluidic properties and functions of wood-based bio-composites. In this talk, I will discuss the multi-scale structural design and multi-phase mass transport behavior of wood-based functional materials, with a focus on the structure-property-function relationship and how these materials can be used to address the energy-water challenges of sustainable development.

Regulation of multi-scale structure and multi-phase mass transport of wood materials toward water-energy applications

ACS Spring 2022

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