Wood is a sustainable structural material, but it cannot be easily shaped while maintaining its mechanical properties. We report a processing strategy that uses cell wall engineering to shape flat sheets of hardwood into versatile three-dimensional (3D) structures. After breaking down wood’s lignin component and closing the vessels and fibers by evaporating water, we partially re-swell the wood in a rapid water-shock process that selectively opens the vessels. This forms a distinct wrinkled cell wall structure that allows the material to be folded and molded into desired shapes. The resulting 3D-molded wood is six times stronger than the starting wood and comparable to widely used lightweight materials such as aluminum alloys. This approach widens wood’s potential as a structural material, with lower environmental impact for buildings and transportation applications.

中文翻译：

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通过细胞壁工程轻质、坚固、可模塑的木材作为一种可持续的结构材料

木材是一种可持续的结构材料，但在保持其机械性能的同时不易成型。我们报告了一种使用细胞壁工程将硬木平板塑造成多功能三维 (3D) 结构的加工策略。在分解木材的木质素成分并通过蒸发水关闭容器和纤维后，我们在快速水冲击过程中部分重新膨胀木材，选择性地打开容器。这形成了独特的褶皱细胞壁结构，使材料可以折叠并模制成所需的形状。由此产生的 3D 成型木材的强度是原始木材的六倍，并且可与广泛使用的轻质材料（如铝合金）相媲美。这种方法扩大了木材作为结构材料的潜力，