Functional Wood Materials

<b>The lecture reports on new developments in the field of functional wood materials. The sophisticated and highly porous hierarchical structure of wood provides a versatile scaffold for functionalization treatments, and the mechanical properties, outstanding in view of its low density, make wood a biomaterial of choice to develop high-performance hybrid materials and composites. Structure-retaining modification and functionalization in top-down approaches allows to profit from these intrinsic features of the wood structure. Moreover, the CO₂-storing capacity and the renewable nature of wood are highly beneficial characteristics, but the potential of functional wood materials to substitute less eco-friendly engineering materials for a transition toward circular economy highly depends on processing conditions and achievable performances. In this talk, various approaches to utilize the hierarchical wood structure will be discussed along with strategies to address essential remaining challenges, including large-scale production and adherence to green chemistry principles.</b>