Induced Wood-Inorganic Composites in Standing Trees via Slow-Release Drip

It is a novel idea to fabricate wood-inorganic composites by utilizing the transpiration of bionic trees to realize the self-assembly of inorganic precursors in wood formation. We selected a 10-year-old poplar and diffused the solvent or sol containing SiO2 precursor into the xylem via the slow-release drip method. In combination with the moisture in xylem, reactions such as hydrolysis, polycondensation and self-assembly were induced in order to form wood inorganic composites. It was found, through microscopic observation, that such inorganic substances were yellowish brown and widely existed in vessels, wood fibers and ray cells. For the new grown wood, the fiber-tissue ratio and cell wall thickness underwent an increase, while the vessel diameter and tissue ratio experienced a decline. Moreover, such change was related to the concentration of precursors. EDS analysis proved that the elemental composition of sediments in wood cells was C, O, Si, K and Ca. XPS confirmed that the newly formed wood contained silicon oxide, illustrating that the standing tree slow-release drip technology could induce wood to fabricate inorganic composites.

Automated summary

It is proposed to use the transpiration of bionic trees to assemble inorganic precursors, forming wood-inorganic composites. By diffusing solvent or sol containing SiO2 precursor into the xylem of a 10-year-old poplar, hydrolysis, polycondensation, and self-assembly reactions were induced to create the composites. The inorganic substances were observed to be present in vessels, wood fibers, and ray cells in a yellowish brown color. The composition and structure of the wood were modified by the formation of the composites, with changes in fiber-tissue ratio, cell wall thickness, and vessel diameter.