Opportunity

There has been an increasing interest in using sustainable material, such as wood and bamboo, to replace the current highly-polluted material, such as plastic and low carbon steel. In particular, natural culm bamboo has been used in scaffolding and corridor vaults. The mechanical performance of natural culm bamboo, however, is not strong enough to be widely used in building construction in general, limiting its applicability. How to design sustainable bamboo-based materials with satisfactory mechanical properties for construction applications is a long-standing challenge for both researchers and engineers in the field. As compared to the existing materials or products (metals/ wood and plastic composites) on the market, our bamboo-based prototypes have excellent mechanical properties. Because of its densified microstructure, this prototype also has the advantage of excellent service properties, including waterproof and fireproof properties. 

Technology

Our work aims to strengthen natural bamboo by optimizing its internal structures, by using chemical and mechanical treatment. We also aim to manufacture eco-friendly ‘super bamboo’ product with optimized performance. In this project, we will develop a novel bamboo-processing technique, including both mechanical and chemical treatments, to densify natural bamboo without destroying key internal structure critical for superior mechanical performance. We will apply our technique to design new bamboo-based materials, called “super bamboo”, with excellent mechanical properties for wide applications. Its stiffness is above 5x of those of the untreated bamboo and its specific strength (strength-weight ratio) can be above 5x of that of low carbon steel.

Advantages

• 100% eco-friendly, with no formaldehyde emission.
• Excellent mechanical properties.
• Good dimension stability.
• Excellent service properties, including excellent waterproof, fireproof and anti-moth-eaten property.

Applications

• Application in replacing conventional wood, plastic, and low carbon steel.
• Load-bearing structure parts, such as the outdoor floor and interior floor/wall.
• Interior and exterior decoration as well as high-quality furniture.