Strengthening of Wood-Like Materials via Densification and Nanoparticle Intercalation
David Novel,
Simone Ghio,
Andrea Gaiardo,
Antonino Picciotto,
Vincenzo Guidi,
Giorgio Speranza,
Maurizio Boscardin,
Pierluigi Bellutti,
Nicola M. Pugno
Affiliations
David Novel
Laboratory of Bio-Inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials & Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy
Simone Ghio
Laboratory of Bio-Inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials & Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy
Andrea Gaiardo
Centre for Materials and Microsystems, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Trento, Italy
Antonino Picciotto
Centre for Materials and Microsystems, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Trento, Italy
Vincenzo Guidi
Department of Physics and Earth Science, University of Ferrara, via Saragat 1/c, I-44122 Ferrara, Italy
Giorgio Speranza
Centre for Materials and Microsystems, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Trento, Italy
Maurizio Boscardin
Centre for Materials and Microsystems, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Trento, Italy
Pierluigi Bellutti
Centre for Materials and Microsystems, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Trento, Italy
Nicola M. Pugno
Laboratory of Bio-Inspired, Bionic, Nano, Meta Materials & Mechanics, Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering, University of Trento, via Mesiano 77, I-38123 Trento, Italy
Recently, several chemical and physical treatments were developed to improve different properties of wood. Such treatments are applicable to many types of cellulose-based materials. Densification leads the group in terms of mechanical results and comprises a chemical treatment followed by a thermo-compression stage. First, chemicals selectively etch the matrix of lignin and hemicellulose. Then, thermo-compression increases the packing density of cellulose microfibrils boosting mechanical performance. In this paper, in comparison with the state-of-the-art for wood treatments we introduce an additional nano-reinforcemeent on densified giant reed to further improve the mechanical performance. The modified nanocomposite materials are stiffer, stronger, tougher and show higher fire resistance. After the addition of nanoparticles, no relevant structural modification is induced as they are located in the gaps between cellulose microfibrils. Their peculiar positioning could increase the interfacial adhesion energy and improve the stress transfer between cellulose microfibrils. The presented process stands as a viable solution to introduce nanoparticles as new functionalities into cellulose-based natural materials.
