A scalable high-porosity wood for sound absorption and thermal insulation

Xinpeng Zhao, Yu Liu, Liuxian Zhao, Amirhossein Yazdkhasti, Yimin Mao, Amanda Pia Siciliano, Jiaqi Dai, Shuangshuang Jing, Hua Xie, Zhihan Li, Shuaiming He, Bryson Callie Clifford, Jianguo Li, Grace S. Chen, Emily Q. Wang, Andre Desjarlais, Daniel Saloni, Miao Yu, Jan Kośny, J. Y. Zhu, Amy Gong and Liangbing Hu ()
Additional contact information
Xinpeng Zhao: University of Maryland
Yu Liu: University of Maryland
Liuxian Zhao: University of Maryland
Amirhossein Yazdkhasti: University of Maryland
Yimin Mao: University of Maryland
Amanda Pia Siciliano: University of Maryland
Jiaqi Dai: InventWood LLC
Shuangshuang Jing: University of Maryland
Hua Xie: University of Maryland
Zhihan Li: University of Maryland
Shuaiming He: University of Maryland
Bryson Callie Clifford: University of Maryland
Jianguo Li: University of Maryland
Grace S. Chen: University of Maryland
Emily Q. Wang: University of Maryland
Andre Desjarlais: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Daniel Saloni: North Carolina State University
Miao Yu: University of Maryland
Jan Kośny: University of Massachusetts
J. Y. Zhu: USDA Forest Products Laboratory
Amy Gong: InventWood LLC
Liangbing Hu: University of Maryland

Nature Sustainability, 2023, vol. 6, issue 3, 306-315

Abstract: Abstract The search for more-sustainable materials has motivated research on lightweight, porous structures for thermal insulation and noise reduction, such as for construction and cold-chain transportation. Wood, known as one of the most renewable materials on Earth, has been widely and long used in construction for its high strength/weight ratio, wide abundance, low cost and relative sustainability. However, natural wood is much less effective at reducing noise or preventing heat loss than conventional petroleum- and mineral-based porous structures (for example, expanded polystyrene foam and mineral wool). Here we report the extraordinary noise-reduction and thermal-insulation capabilities of a scalable, high-porosity wood structure, ‘insulwood’, fabricated by removing lignin and hemicelluloses from natural wood using a rapid (~1 h) high-temperature process followed by low-cost ambient drying. Insulwood demonstrates a high porosity of ~0.93, a high noise-reduction coefficient of 0.37 at a frequency range of 250–3,000 Hz (for 10-mm-thick wood), a low radial thermal conductivity of 0.038 W m–1 K–1 and a high compressive strength of ~1.5 MPa at 60% strain. Furthermore, this new wood-based material can be rapidly processed into a vacuum insulation panel (~0.01 W m–1 K–1) for thermal insulation applications with limited space (for example, refrigerators, cold-chain transportation and older buildings). The material is unique in its combination of renewable source materials, high porosity, high sound absorption, low thermal conductivity and high mechanical robustness, as well as in its efficient, cost-effective and scalable manufacturing. These attributes make insulwood promising as a sustainable construction material for improved noise and thermal regulation.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-022-01035-y

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