Adhesive-Free, Light, and Strong Particle Board.

Wood particle boards are massively used in construction and household products. But they often raise health and environmental concerns because of the formaldehyde-based adhesives. More sustainable and high-strength particle boards are developed on a bio-based materials or their derivatives. However, their high density (heavier than that of water) greatly weakens the important light weight properties of natural wood. To address this problem, we realized adhesive-free, light, and strong particle boards assisted by plant macrofibers using big wood particles as raw materials. The challenge of strong connection among big wood particles is achieved by plant macrofibers, which serve as bridges to forming robust linkages between wood particles. The resulting particle boards have densities as low as 0.53 g cm-3 (61.7 MPa) and flexural strengths as high as 114.2 MPa (0.78 g cm-3). This strategy opens a new door for the research and application of wood particle boards for sustainable development of the world.