#Lumber floor generator skin#

The resulting white wood sponge consists of superimposed thin layers of cellulose that can easily be squeezed together and then expand back into their original form-wood has become elastic.Р”В«urgert's team subjected the test cube with a side length of about 1.5 cm to about 600 load cycles. 'We take advantage of the hierarchical structure of wood without first dissolving it, as is the case in paper production, for example, and then having to reconnect the fibers,' says Burgert. The lignin is dissolved in this acid bath, leaving a framework of cellulose layers. In order to transform wood into a material that can easily be deformed, lignin must at least partially be 'extracted.' This is achieved by placing wood in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid. This would not be possible without lignin as a stabilizing substance that connects the cells and prevents the rigid cellulose fibrils from buckling,' explains Burgert. 'Lignin is what a tree needs primarily in order to grow to great heights. Wood cell walls consist of three basic materials: lignin, hemicelluloses and cellulose.

student in Burgert's team, used a chemical process that is the basis for various 'refinements' of wood the team has undertaken in recent years: delignification. Without special treatment, wood is not flexible enough when subjected to mechanical stress therefore, only a very low electrical voltage is generated in the deformation process. But first of all, wood must be given the appropriate properties. If thought further, the effect could also be used for sustainable energy production. Being able to use the natural piezoelectric effect of wood thus offers a number of advantages. It also makes the ecological disposal of PZT and Co rather tricky.

#Lumber floor generator skin#

However, such sensors often use materials that are unsuitable for use in biomedical applications, such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), which cannot be used on human skin due to the lead it contains. This phenomenon is mainly exploited by metrology, which uses sensors that generate a charge signal, say, when a mechanical load is applied. Piezoelectricity means that an electric voltage is created by the elastic deformation of solids.

If you want to generate electricity from wood, the so-called piezoelectric effect comes into play.