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Nanoscience to benefit wood adhesives

Research to improve wood adhesives through the use of nanotechnology earned Dr Joseph Jakes a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
Jakes is a research materials engineer and his exploration of wood at the nanoscale has resulted in the development of new high-performance wood-based composite materials, including those utilizing nanocellulose. Source: Woodworking Network

His goal is the development of new and improved forest products that lead to the efficient utilization and management of forest resources.

Jakes is the author of Developing Tools to Assess Mechanical Properties of Wood Cell Walls and his scientific paper says that Nanoindentation is a tool capable of probing mechanical properties at the sub-micrometer level. This would include wood cell walls, individual components in a wood-based composite, coatings and adhesive bond lines.

Using this tool will help develop “advanced wood-based nanocomposites and to better understand wood-adhesive interactions.”