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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Bamboo gains super strength thanks to an ingredient from within

A component of bamboo itself can be used to bind the plant’s cells to form a strong material — no petrochemical glue needed.
Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a section through a bamboo stem (Phyllostachys sp.).

A bamboo stem (artificially coloured). A process that allows a substance in plant cell walls to infiltrate the bamboo yields a strong composite. Credit: Steve Gschmeissner/SPL

Bamboo’s inherent strength could be harnessed for green construction materials thanks to a technology that exploits the binding power of lignin, a substance that provides structure and strength to plant cells1.

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Nature 622, 435 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-03108-0

References

  1. Meng, T. et al. Nano Lett. 23, 8411–8418 (2023).

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