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Wood Pulp Extract Stronger Than Carbon Fiber Or Kevlar

Posted by timothy on from the and-so-delicious-too dept.

Zothecula writes "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."

12 of 208 comments (clear)

  1. Transparent Aluminum by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Who needs transparent aluminum when you've got transparent, bulletproof wood?

    1. Re:Transparent Aluminum by ciderbrew · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's a proper boast right there.

    2. Re:Transparent Aluminum by mk1004 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Who needs transparent aluminum when you've got transparent, bulletproof wood?

      Women might be impressed with bulletproof wood, but transparent?

      --
      I can mend the break of day, heal a broken heart, and provide temporary relief to nymphomaniacs.
    3. Re:Transparent Aluminum by Forty+Two+Tenfold · · Score: 5, Funny

      Women might be impressed with bulletproof wood, but transparent?

      With transparent they'd be surprised.

      --
      Upward mobility is a slippery slope - the higher you climb the more you show your ass.
    4. Re:Transparent Aluminum by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 4, Funny

      "With transparent they'd be surprised."

      Well, they wouldn't see you coming, that's for sure.

  2. Paper armor by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 4, Funny

    I *knew* I should have patented the paper armor I made for myself when I was a kid.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  3. Re:Same transparent aluminum thought by Sez+Zero · · Score: 4, Funny

    Transparent aluminum is ballistics-resistant so much so that it doesn't even scratch. It's also much more expensive.

    Yeah, but its barter value isn't very high. A guy I know (Monty) only got a few big sheets of plexi in exchange for the transparent aluminum formula. Sheesh.

  4. Real World Implications by UnknowingFool · · Score: 4, Funny

    So does this mean that Ikea furniture will now be bullet proof too?

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  5. Re:Same transparent aluminum thought by ackthpt · · Score: 4, Funny

    Transparent aluminum is ballistics-resistant so much so that it doesn't even scratch. It's also much more expensive.

    Yeah, but its barter value isn't very high. A guy I know (Monty) only got a few big sheets of plexi in exchange for the transparent aluminum formula. Sheesh.

    Yeah, I heard some hospital patient grew a new kidney, too, but got run down months later by someone driving a car made of transparent aluminum, never saw it coming.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  6. In the future... by N0Man74 · · Score: 3, Funny

    In the future, there will be a Legend of Zelda game where the Wooden Shield will be the best shield, rather than the starting shield.

  7. Re:Cheaper & Stronger than Carbon Fiber? by Zerth · · Score: 3, Funny

    So instead of rust it will be "oh, looks like you've got termites in the bodywork. Might as well chop it up for firewood."

  8. Re:Stiffness an issue? by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm always thinking of Batman's suit.

    --

    ---
    ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.