Carbon Nanotubes. Carbyne. Ceramics. 3D Printed Super-Strong Materials. Silks and Webs. Plastic Composites. Wood pulp extract stronger than carbon fiber or Kevlar. The Forest Products Laboratory of the US Forest Service has opened a US$1.7 million pilot plant for the production of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) from wood by-products materials such as wood chips and sawdust.
Prepared properly, CNCs are stronger and stiffer than Kevlar or carbon fibers, so that putting CNC into composite materials results in high strength, low weight products. In addition, the cost of CNCs is less than ten percent of the cost of Kevlar fiber or carbon fiber. These qualities have attracted the interest of the military for use in lightweight armor and ballistic glass (CNCs are transparent), as well as companies in the automotive, aerospace, electronics, consumer products, and medical industries.
View all Cellulose is the most abundant biological polymer on the planet and it is found in the cell walls of plant and bacterial cells.