In Situ Lignin Modification toward Photonic Wood
2021; Volume: 33; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1002/adma.202001588
ISSN1521-4095
AutoresQinqin Xia, Chaoji Chen, Yonggang Yao, Shuaiming He, Xizheng Wang, Jianguo Li, Jinlong Gao, Wentao Gan, Bo Jiang, Mingjin Cui, Liangbing Hu,
Tópico(s)Dyeing and Modifying Textile Fibers
ResumoAbstract Lignin serves as a binder that forms strong matrices of the cell walls of wood. However, it has many photolabile chromophore groups that create a monotonic brownish color and make wood susceptible to photodegradation. Herein, a new strategy is reported for modifying lignin using an in situ, rapid, and scalable process that involves the photocatalytic oxidation of native lignin in wood by H 2 O 2 and UV light. The reaction selectively eliminates lignin's chromophores while leaving the aromatic skeleton intact, thus modulating the optical properties of wood. The resulting “photonic wood” retains ≈80% of its original lignin content, which continues to serve as a strong binder and water‐proofing agent. As a result, photonic wood features a much higher mechanical strength in a wet environment (20‐times higher tensile strength and 12‐times greater compression resistance), significant scalability (≈2 m long sample), and largely reduced processing times (1–6.5 h vs 4–14 h) compared with delignification methods. Additionally, this in situ lignin‐modified wood structure is easily patterned through a photocatalytic oxidation process. This photocatalytic production of photonic wood paves the way for the large‐scale manufacturing of sustainable biosourced functional materials for a range of applications, including energy‐efficient buildings, optical management, and fluidic, ionic, electronic, and optical devices.
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