via University of Maryland
The sharpest knives available are made of either steel or ceramic, both of which are man-made materials that must be forged in furnaces under extreme temperatures. Now, researchers have developed a potentially more sustainable way to make sharp knives: using hardened wood. The method, presented October 20th in the journal Matter, makes wood 23 times harder, and a knife made from the material is nearly three times sharper than a stainless-steel dinner table knife.
“The knife cuts through a medium-well done steak easily, with similar performance to a dinner table knife,” says Teng Li (@ToLiTeng), the senior author of the study and a materials scientist at the University of Maryland. Afterwards, the hardened wood knife can be washed and reused, making it a promising alternative to steel, ceramic, and disposable plastic knives.
Li and his team also demonstrated that their material can be used to produce wooden nails as sharp as conventional steel nails. Unlike steel nails, the wooden nails the team developed are resistant to rusting. The researchers showed that these wooden nails could be used to hammer together three boards without any damage to the nail. In addition to knives and nails, Li hopes that, in the future, the material can also be used to make hardwood flooring that is more resistant to scratching and wear.
While Li’s method to produce hardened wood is new, wood processing in general has been around for centuries. However, when wood is prepared for furniture or building materials, it is only processed with steam and compression, and the material rebounds somewhat after shaping. “When you look around at the hard materials you use in your daily life, you see many of them are man-made materials because natural materials won’t necessarily satisfy what we need,” says Li.
“Cellulose, the main component of wood, has a higher ratio of strength to density than most engineered materials, like ceramics, metals, and polymers, but our existing usage of wood barely touches its full potential,” he says. Even though it’s often used in building, wood’s strength falls short of that of cellulose. This is because wood is made up of only 40%–50% cellulose, with the rest consisting of hemicellulose and lignin, which acts as a binder.
Li and his team sought to process wood in such a way to remove the weaker components while not destroying the cellulose skeleton. “It’s a two-step process,” says Li. “In the first step, we partially delignify wood. Typically, wood is very rigid, but after removal of the lignin, it becomes soft, flexible, and somewhat squishy. In the second step, we do a hot press by applying pressure and heat to the chemically processed wood to densify and remove the water.”
After the material is processed and carved into the desired shape, it is coated in mineral oil to extend its lifetime. Cellulose tends to absorb water, so this coating preserves the knife’s sharpness during use and when it is washed in the sink or dishwasher.
Using high-resolution microscopy, Li and his team examined the microstructure of the hardened wood to determine the origin of its strength. “The strength of a piece of material is very sensitive to the size and density of defects, like voids, channels, or pits,” says Li. “The two-step process we are using to process the natural wood significantly reduces or removes the defects in natural wood, so those channels to transport water or other nutrients in the tree are almost gone.”
This wood-hardening process has the potential to be more energy efficient and have a lower environmental impact than for the manufacture of other man-made materials, although more in-depth analysis is necessary to say for sure. The first step requires boiling the wood at 100° Celsius in a bath of chemicals, which could potentially be reused from batch to batch. For comparison, the process used to make ceramics requires heating materials up to a few thousand degrees Celsius.
“In our kitchen, we have many wood pieces that we use for a very long time, like a cutting board, chopsticks, or a rolling pin,” says Li. “These knives, too, can be used many times if you resurface them, sharpen them, and perform the same regular upkeep.”
Original Article: Researchers make hardened wooden knives that slice through steak
More from: University of Maryland College Park
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Hardened wood
- You're Probably Not Staining Your Wood Deck Enough. Here's Why
A wood deck adds an attractive space to any backyard, but it requires regular maintenance. Here's why you're probably not staining your wood deck enough.
- Family mindset continues for Wood Brothers Racing as third generation takes on co-ownership role
Family mindset continues for Wood Brothers Racing as third generation takes on co-ownership role to take team into the future.
- NASCAR Classics: Wood Brothers’ most iconic victories
Take a look back at some of the most iconic victories in Wood Brothers Racing history in the NASCAR Classics Library. The team planned on racing in the Daytona 500 with Marvin Panch, who had been with ...
- Fantasy Baseball Prospects Report: Kyle Manzardo represents upgrade for Guardians; James Wood biding his time
After headlining last week's Prospects Report, Loperfido fell into a 2-for-24 funk, and I was tempted to bump him from my Five on the Verge in favor of Kyle Manzardo. But then he rebounded with a ...
- How to plan the perfect wood flooring - What you need to know about wood versus wood-style
To wood or not to wood… that is the question. With so much choice available, it can be hard to know how to choose wood flooring from both a design perspective and a practical viewpoint. Wood and ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Hardened wood
[google_news title=”” keyword=”hardened wood” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Hardened wooden knife
- We Launched a Knife Collection: The 12 New Outdoor Life Knives
Outdoor Life just came out with a new line of knives that range from modern folders to traditional pocket knives. I’ve been using the Lockback to open boxes and even butcher turkeys. Here’s a look at ...
- 25 Times A “Harmless” Prank Went Horribly Wrong
So-called ‘harmless’ pranks that ended in tragedy. The post 25 Times A “Harmless” Prank Went Horribly Wrong appeared first on DeMilked.
- 3 yogurt recipes from sweet to savory
I discovered a love for yogurt when I took my first trip to Europe as a college student. What I tasted there was so different from the yogurt I grew up with, which was thick, gummy, and full of ...
- Zwilling's Huge Spring Sale Includes Staub Cookware, Chef's Knives, and More
At 4.9 stars from almost 200 reviews, the Pro Le Blanc chef’s knife will be the most reliable knife in your collection. It’s fit for a number of tasks, from chopping herbs to mincing garlic. The brand ...
- Masters champ Jackie Burke Jr. to be celebrated during Champions Dinner
Jackie Burke Jr. passed away in January, just 10 days before his 101st birthday. The 1956 Masters champion will be honored during this year's Champions Dinner.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Hardened wooden knife
[google_news title=”” keyword=”hardened wooden knife” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]