Prof. Dr. Ingo Burgert (D-BAUG)
Wood possesses a porous hierarchical structure with excellent mechanical properties, which makes it an eligible scaffold to develop sophisticated high performance composites and hybrid materials. Modification and functionalization treatments can be conducted to improve wood properties for traditional fields of application or to add new functions for novel material profiles. Additionally, the natural wood can be delignified to produce porous cellulose scaffolds, while retaining the sophisticated hierarchical structure and the beneficial fibre directionality. The presentation will cover various approaches to develop bio-inspired wood materials, including the utilization of wood-water interactions for actuating wood elements and the fabrication of delignified cellulose scaffolds with excellent mechanical properties. A specific focus will be laid on discussing wood functionalization in a top-down approach as a manufacturing alternative to bottom-up assembly strategies.