Plant materials with improved water stability, and methods for fabrication thereof

EP4698355A1Pending Publication Date: 2026-02-25INVENTWOOD LLC
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Patent Information

Application Number
EP2024793639
Authority / Receiving Office
EP · EP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2023-04-20
Filing Date
2024-04-19
Publication Date
2026-02-25

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Conventional wood products suffer from significant water absorption and swelling when exposed to moisture, leading to dimensional instability and potential structural issues, which existing coatings and sealants cannot fully address due to their hydrophobic nature and limited penetration into the plant material anatomy.

Method used

A method involving the homogeneous absorption of stabilizing agent precursors into plant materials, which react to form crosslinking agents that penetrate and stabilize amorphous cellulose and lignin regions, reducing water swelling potential and enhancing the material's density without causing premature crosslinking during compression.

Benefits of technology

The treated plant materials exhibit exceptional strength and a unique combination of high water absorption capacity with low thickness swell potential, maintaining stability and functionality even when exposed to water.

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Abstract

A plant material can be infiltrated with a solution having stabilizing agent and / or stabilizing agent precursors. The stabilizing agent and / or precursors can be absorbed within amorphous cellulose and / or hemicellulose regions of cell walls of the plant material. After the infiltrating, the amorphous cellulose and / or hemicellulose can be crosslinked with the stabilizing agent. The stabilizing agent precursors can include a nucleophile and an electrophile, and the stabilizing agent can include a reaction product of the nucleophile and the electrophile. During the infiltrating, each of the stabilizing agent and / or the precursors can have a molecular weight less than or equal to 500 g / mole. After the crosslinking, the stabilizing agent can imbue the plant material with improved water stability, in particular, such that swelling of the plant material is limited regardless of a duration of exposure to water and / or an amount of water absorbed by the plant material.
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