Maryland-based startup InventWood is set to begin large-scale production of “Superwood,” a specially treated wood that is stronger than steel, fire-resistant, and built to last. The breakthrough material, developed by University of Maryland scientist Liangbing Hu, is being described as one of the most exciting innovations in materials science in recent years.
Superwood is made using a quick two-step process. First, weak components like lignin and hemicellulose are removed from the wood. Then, the treated wood is compressed under heat, causing its cell walls to collapse and tightly align.
This alignment strengthens the cellulose nanofibers, making the final product up to 12 times stronger than regular wood. Not only is it comparable to carbon fiber in strength, but it’s also far cheaper and more environmentally friendly.
“This new way to treat wood makes it 12 times stronger than natural wood and 10 times tougher,” said Dr. Hu back in 2018. “This could be a competitor to steel or even titanium alloys, it is so strong and durable. It’s also comparable to carbon fiber, but much less expensive.”
The material has passed tough tests. During testing projectiles was fired at both natural wood and Superwood. While the bullets easily passed through regular wood, Superwood managed to stop them partway, showing how dense and strong it really is.
InventWood has licensed the technology from the University of Maryland and raised $15 million to build a production facility. The company plans to ship its first commercial batches this summer, focusing first on materials for facades in commercial and high-end residential buildings.
Over time, InventWood hopes to expand Superwood’s use to structural parts of buildings, reducing the need for steel and concrete — two materials with large carbon footprints.
“Right now, coming out of this first-of-a-kind commercial plant , so it’s a smaller plant, we’re focused on skin applications,” said Alex Lau, CEO of InventWood. “Eventually we want to get to the bones of the building. Ninety percent of the carbon impact from buildings is concrete and steel in the construction of the building.”
The technology behind Superwood is the result of years of research. Hu and his team first revealed their “densification process” in 2018. The idea was to create stronger, more durable wood by compressing it after removing weak parts of the structure. The strength-to-weight ratio of the material is 10 times better than steel, and it has about 50% more tensile strength than the metal.
“We might densify the material by 4x and you might think, ‘Oh, it’ll be four times strong, because it has four times the fiber.’ But it’s actually more like 10 times stronger because of all these extra bonds that get created,” Lau explained.
Superwood also has other advantages. It is Class A fire rated, which means it is highly resistant to flames. It also stands up well to pests, rot, and extreme weather. This makes it a strong candidate for use in outdoor projects like siding, roofing, and decking. With some added polymer, the material can be stabilized for long-term exposure to the elements.
Another unique feature of Superwood is its appearance. Compressing the material enhances its color, giving it a look similar to expensive tropical hardwoods like walnut or ipe — without staining or finishing. “Imagine your I-beams look like this,” Lau said, holding up a sample of Superwood. “They’re beautiful, like walnut, ipe. These are the natural colors. We haven’t stained any of this.”
The company hopes to one day produce structural beams of any size from wood chips using Superwood technology. This could transform construction, making it easier to use fast-growing soft woods like pine or balsa instead of slow-growing hardwoods like teak.
“This kind of wood could be used in cars, airplanes, buildings – any application where steel is used,” said Dr. Hu. “Soft woods like pine or balsa, which grow fast and are more environmentally friendly, could replace slower-growing but denser woods like teak in furniture or buildings.”
Since 2018, Dr. Hu has been busy developing other wood-based technologies, including transparent wood, water filters made from burnt wood, and sodium-ion batteries that use materials from wood and leaves. But Superwood remains one of his most promising creations — and now, thanks to InventWood, it’s finally going commercial.
The journey from lab to market hasn’t been easy. “All these people came to him,” said Lau. “He’s like, OK, this is amazing, but I’m a university professor. I don’t know quite what to do about it.”
Rather than stop there, Hu spent the next few years improving the process, reducing production time from over a week to just a few hours. His dedication, combined with InventWood’s funding and business support, has brought Superwood from science fiction to reality.
