University System of Maryland

Nanjing University

Mingwei Zhu

Liangbing Hu

Jianwei Song

Tian Li

Amy Gong

Chaoji Chen

Yanfeng Chen

Yanqing Lu

Haixiong Ge

He Liu

Zhenlin Wang

Yuefeng Tang

Yiju Li

Yudi Kuang

A super strong and tough densified wood structure is formed by subjecting a cellulose-based natural wood material to a chemical treatment that partially removes lignin therefrom. The treated wood retains lumina of the natural wood, with cellulose nanofibers of cell walls being aligned. The treated wood is then pressed in a direction crossing the direction in which the lumina extend, such that the lumina collapse and any residual fluid within the wood is removed. As a result, the cell walls become entangled and hydrogen bonds are formed between adjacent cellulose nanofibers, thereby improving the strength and toughness of the wood among other mechanical properties. By further modifying, manipulating, or machining the densified wood, it can be adapted to various applications.

Strong and tough structural wood materials, and methods for fabricating and use thereof

Highly transparent (up to 92% light transmittance) wood composites have been developed. The process of fabricating the transparent wood composites includes lignin removal followed by index-matching polymer infiltration resulted in fabrication of the transparent wood composites with preserved naturally aligned nanoscale fibers. The thickness of the transparent wood composite can be tailored by controlling the thickness of the initial wood substrate. The optical transmittance can be tailored by selecting infiltrating polymers with different refractive indices. The transparent wood composites have a range of applications in biodegradable electronics, optoelectronics, as well as structural and energy efficient building materials. By coating the transparent wood composite layer on the surface of GaAs thin film solar cell, an 18% enhancement in the overall energy conversion efficiency has been attained.

Transparent wood composite, systems and method of fabrication

Solar thermal devices are formed from a block of wood, where the natural cell lumens of the wood form an interconnected network that transports fluid or material therein. The block of wood can be modified to increase absorption of solar radiation. Combining the solar absorption effects with the natural transport network can be used for various applications. In some embodiments, heating of the modified block of wood by insolation can be used to evaporate a fluid, for example, evaporating water for extraction, distillation, or desalination. In other embodiments, heating of the modified block of wood by insolation can be used to change transport properties of a material to allow it to be transported in the interconnected network, for example, heating crude oil to adsorb the oil within the block of wood.

Wood-based solar thermal devices, and methods for fabrication and use thereof

A novel method suitable for commercially mass production of hollow microneedle with high quality for delivery of drugs across or into biological tissue is provided. It typically includes the following processes: (1) coating an elongated template of a first material with a second material to form a cover; (2) removing tips of the template and cover to form an opening in the cover; and (3) removing the template of the first material to obtain hollow microneedles of the second material. This simple, efficient and cost-effective fabrication method can mass produce hollow microneedle arrays involving no complicated and expensive equipments or techniques, which can be used in commercial fabrication of hollow needles for delivering drugs or genes across or into skin or other tissue barriers with advantages of minimal damage, painless, long-term and continuous usages.

Fabrication method for hollow microneedles for drug delivery

Growing community of inventors

Nanjing, China

Mingwei Zhu