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In addition to filtering some sediments, hydrophobic wood sponges can also absorb many organic solvents, particularly crude oil. The leakage of crude oil poses a serious threat to the marine ecosystem, and oil mixed with water also generates great danger for its use. From the perspective of low cost and high performance, wood sponges exhibit great potential for dealing with crude oil pollution. Wood sponge is a renewable material. With a highly oriented layered structure and a highly compressible three-dimensional porous frame, wood sponges are extremely hydrophobic, making them ideal for oil–water separation. Currently, the most common approach for creating wood sponge is to first destroy the wood cell wall to obtain a porous-oriented layered structure and then enhance the oil–water separation ability via superhydrophobic treatment. Wood sponge prepared using various experimental methods and different natural woods exhibits distinctive properties in regards to robustness, compressibility, fatigue resistance, and oil absorption ability. As an aerogel material, wood sponge offers multi-action (absorption, filtration) and reusable oil–water separation functions. This paper introduces the advantages of the use of wood sponge for oil–water separation. The physical and chemical properties of wood sponge and its mechanism of adsorbing crude oil are explained. The synthesis method and the properties are discussed. Finally, the use of wood sponge is summarized and prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient exploitation of planted fast-growing wood is crucial for enhancing wood resource utilization. In this study, the fast-growing poplar wood was modified by in situ impregnation through vacuum impregnation with polyvinyl alcohol and nano-silica sol as impregnation modifiers, combined with delignification–freezing pretreatment. The samples were characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, and the universal mechanical testing machine. The results showed that the wrinkle deformation and cracking of the wood blocks were greatly alleviated after the delignification–freezing pretreatment and the polyvinyl alcohol and nano-silica sol were successfully integrated into the wood. The resulting polyvinyl alcohol–silica sol poplar composites exhibited about 216%, 80% and 43% higher compressive strength with respect to delignified wood, natural wood and impregnated natural wood, respectively, thereby demonstrating superior mechanical properties and potential opportunities for value-added and efficient utilization of low-quality wood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to a large number of harmful chemicals flowing into the water source in production and life, the water quality deteriorates, and the use value of water is reduced or lost. Biochar has a strong physical adsorption effect, but it can only separate pollutants from water and cannot eliminate pollutants fundamentally. Photocatalytic degradation technology using photocatalysts uses chemical methods to degrade or mineralize organic pollutants, but it is difficult to recover and reuse. Woody biomass has the advantages of huge reserves, convenient access and a low price. Processing woody biomass into biochar and then combining it with photocatalysts has played a complementary role. In this paper, the shortcomings of a photocatalyst and biochar in water treatment are introduced, respectively, and the advantages of a woody biochar-based photocatalyst made by combining them are summarized. The preparation and assembly methods of the woody biochar-based photocatalyst starting from the preparation of biochar are listed, and the water treatment efficiency of the woody biochar-based photocatalyst using different photocatalysts is listed. Finally, the future development of the woody biochar-based photocatalyst is summarized and prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the focus of architecture, furniture, and other fields, wood has attracted extensive attention for its many advantages, such as environmental friendliness and excellent mechanical properties. Inspired by the wetting model of natural lotus leaves, researchers prepared superhydrophobic coatings with strong mechanical properties and good durability on the modified wood surface. The prepared superhydrophobic coating has achieved functions such as oil-water separation and self-cleaning. At present, some methods such as the sol-gel method, the etching method, graft copolymerization, and the layer-by-layer self-assembly method can be used to prepare superhydrophobic surfaces, which are widely used in biology, the textile industry, national defense, the military industry, and many other fields. However, most methods for preparing superhydrophobic coatings on wood surfaces are limited by reaction conditions and process control, with low coating preparation efficiency and insufficiently fine nanostructures. The sol-gel process is suitable for large-scale industrial production due to its simple preparation method, easy process control, and low cost. In this paper, the research progress on wood superhydrophobic coatings is summarized. Taking the sol-gel method with silicide as an example, the preparation methods of superhydrophobic coatings on wood surfaces under different acid-base catalysis processes are discussed in detail. The latest progress in the preparation of superhydrophobic coatings by the sol-gel method at home and abroad is reviewed, and the future development of superhydrophobic surfaces is prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Boiled alkaline mixed solution increases the number and caliber of xylem conduits to enhance water transport. • The MWCNTs/carbon black mixed solution has excellent light absorption capacity and absorption band range. • The MWCNTs/carbon black coating on the surface of wood cross-linked changes the surface structure and enhances the light absorption rate. • The coating of the device has shown satisfactory stability in harsh environments. • The degradable device provides a green scheme for high-value utilization of low-quality wood and large-scale sewage treatment. In order to further improve the efficiency of radiation steam generation and the stability in practical application, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/carbon black nanoparticles were used to coat the delignified wood cross section. The results showed that the multi-walled carbon nanotubes and carbon black nanoparticles are cross-linked and uniformly attached to the cross section of wood, forming a relatively rough coating. Through comparative experiments, the sample device displayed a favorable effect of radiation evaporation, with a 24-hour evaporation efficiency of 51.1%, which was 8.9%, 13.0% and 8.4% higher than that of natural wood device, delignified wood device and natural wood device coated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes-carbon black mixed solution, respectively. On the one hand, it benefited from the high broadband absorption efficiency of multi-walled carbon nanotubes-carbon black coating, which exhibited an absorption efficiency of ∼97.5% and an extremely low transmittance of <2.5% in the visible light and ultraviolet region, and on the other hand, it benefited from the unique surface nanostructure of multi-walled carbon nanotubes-carbon black surface coating, which could effectively capture light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The substrate of solar cells with high haze, transparent, flexible, green and low coatings will be needed in the future. This paper reports a method for ultraviolet-assisted delignification of wood in an alkaline solution environment to improve the transmittance of "transparent wood". Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction image (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and transmittance-haze and chemical composition analysis were used to explore the mechanisms underlying the effect of ultraviolet-assisted lignin modification on the optical properties of "transparent wood". The results show that UV-assisted delignification accelerates the rate of removal of lignin and chromogenic groups, which in turn improves the optical properties of the "transparent wood", with UV-assisted lignin modification for 2 h increasing the light transmission of the "transparent wood" by 20%. UV-assisted delignification for 4 h and impregnation resulted in "transparent wood" with a transparency of 71% and a haze of 90%. This report provides a rapid and easy method to prepare high-quality "transparent wood". The "transparent wood" with high transmittance and high haze is a potential candidate for transparent solar substrates. Meanwhile, this method is enlightening for high quality, fast and green preparation of other derived functional materials based on lignin wood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transparent wood, as a novel load-bearing material, is derived from natural wood as a template, overcoming its general mechanical limitations and perishable nature. It boasts remarkable properties that make it an appealing choice for construction and related engineering structures. With its outstanding mechanical performance, attractive optical properties, and utilization of renewable and abundant biomass sources, transparent wood offers low thermal conductivity and holds significant potential for multifunctional improvements in various applications. This paper summarizes the top design principles and bottom preparation methods of transparent wood, emphasizing its application in architecture, including intelligent windows, lighting equipment, solar cell light management, aesthetic decoration, and other potential functions. However, challenges remain in achieving large-scale industrial production, optimizing optical and mechanical properties, and predicting material performance. We discuss the possible solutions to these challenges, highlighting the need for further research and development in the field of transparent wood. • The design principle and the preparation methods of transparent wood were summarized. • The application in architecture was emphatically introduced. • The functional improvement of transparent wood used in buildings were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]