........... The new Superwood gets its super strength through a two-step process developed by Hu's team of scientists. First, the researchers boil samples of wood in a watery mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfite, which works to partially remove lignin and hemicellulose from the material. Then, the treated wood is hot-pressed, which causes the cell walls to collapse and forms highly-aligned cellulose nanofibers. The end result is completely densified wood, which is much stronger than the natural stuff.

"This new way to treat wood makes it 12 times stronger than natural wood and 10 times tougher," said Hu in 2018. "This could be a competitor to steel or even titanium alloys, it is so strong and durable. It's also comparable to carbon fiber, but much less expensive."        ........