Date23rd, Oct 2019

Summary:

Studying the nanostructure of live wood has revealed tiny cylinders that provide strength - a property we could exploit for green buildings

Full text:

Technology 23 October 2019
Wooden building

Wooden buildings could be good for the climate

Udo Siebig/Getty

We now have the clearest picture yet of what the inside of wood looks like on the nanoscale. This improved understanding could help efforts to use it as an alternative to steel and concrete in the construction of tall buildings, which would reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Paul Dupree at the University of Cambridge and his colleagues used low temperature scanning electron microscopy – a high-resolution imaging tool that scans surfaces using a beam of electrons – to get a closer look at living …

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