Wood Science and Technology最新文献

{"title":"Kinetic and environmental effects of xylanase-pectinase pretreatment-mediated weakly alkaline hydrogen peroxide bleaching of poplar chemi-thermomechanical pulp","authors":"Jing Li,&nbsp;Yu-Ning Zha,&nbsp;Han-Min Wang,&nbsp;Qing-Xi Hou","doi":"10.1007/s00226-026-01768-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00226-026-01768-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The pulp and paper industry faces growing challenges arising from fiber shortages and environmental concerns. High yield pulping technology has emerged as a key solution, but the high lignin content in high yield pulp (HYP) restricts its brightness, posing a significant challenge for the bleaching process. Although traditional strong alkaline hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) bleaching of HYP is effective, it results in fiber yield loss and the generation of anionic impurities, thereby bringing about additional environmental burdens. In contrast, weakly alkaline H₂O₂ bleaching is more environmentally friendly and preserves a high pulp yield, but it struggles to achieve the desired brightness due to the reduced reactivity of lignin. This work addresses these challenges by investigating the effect of xylanase-pectinase (XP) pretreatment combined with weakly alkaline H₂O₂ bleaching to improve both bleaching efficiency and environmental benefits in the bleaching of poplar chemi-thermomechanical pulp (CTMP). The kinetic analysis reveals that the XP pretreatment significantly enhanced the efficiency of weakly alkaline H₂O₂ bleaching, accelerating lignin removal and increasing pulp brightness. The XP pretreatment effectively reduced the electrical conductivity, cationic demand, and chemical oxygen demand of the bleaching effluent. The mechanism studies demonstrate that the XP pretreatment effectively cleaved lignin-carbohydrate complex linkages and degraded hemicelluloses side chains, significantly increasing the accessibility and reactivity of the residual lignin. The integration of XP pretreatment with weakly alkaline H₂O₂ bleaching can offer a sustainable and efficient process for poplar CTMP upgrading, simultaneously enhancing the bleaching efficiency and mitigating the environmental footprint.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":810,"journal":{"name":"Wood Science and Technology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147606973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of taurine on the thermal degradation kinetics and flammability of poplar wood","authors":"Youming Dong,&nbsp;Xingjia Cui,&nbsp;Mark Hughes,&nbsp;Jianzhang Li","doi":"10.1007/s00226-026-01764-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00226-026-01764-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Taurine, a bio-based sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compound, has recently attracted attention as a sustainable flame-retardant additive for polymeric materials. However, its potential in enhancing the fire resistance of wood remains largely unexplored. In this study, the effects of taurine on the thermal degradation behavior and combustion performance of wood were systematically investigated using pyrolysis kinetics, cone calorimetry, and thermogravimetry–infrared spectroscopy (TG–FTIR). Taurine treatment promoted catalytic char formation during thermal degradation, resulting in a lower maximum degradation temperature and higher char yield. Kinetic analysis revealed that taurine-treated wood underwent three distinct decomposition stages with activation energies significantly higher than those of untreated wood, indicating an increased energy barrier for pyrolysis. Cone calorimetry results showed that taurine markedly suppressed heat release in the later stages of combustion and effectively reduced total smoke production. TG–FTIR analysis confirmed the release of sulfur- and nitrogen-containing species, which can capture free radicals, inhibit combustion chain reactions, and dilute oxygen and flammable gases, thereby enhancing flame retardancy. This work provides the first comprehensive elucidation of taurine’s flame-retardant mechanism in wood, revealing its dual condensed- and gas-phase synergistic effects and offering new insight into the development of bio-based, environmentally friendly, and efficient flame-retardant systems for wood materials.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":810,"journal":{"name":"Wood Science and Technology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147560770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modulating hierarchical porosity and surface chemistry in wood-derived BiVO4 composites for enhanced photocatalysis","authors":"Weiqi Leng,&nbsp;Wei Tao,&nbsp;Xuefei Jiang,&nbsp;Davina Chloe De La Victoire Magni,&nbsp;Sheng He,&nbsp;Junfeng Wang,&nbsp;Buyun Lu,&nbsp;Jiangtao Shi,&nbsp;Shengcheng Zhai","doi":"10.1007/s00226-026-01763-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00226-026-01763-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The remediation of water contaminated by refractory organic pollutants demands efficient, sustainable technologies. Semiconductor photocatalysis, particularly using visible-light-responsive bismuth vanadate (BiVO₄), is a promising advanced oxidation process. However, the practical application of BiVO₄ is hindered by challenges such as rapid charge recombination and difficult recovery. To address these issues, natural wood with its hierarchical porous structure serves as an ideal functional substrate, yet its performance is highly dependent on the pretreatment conditions. Controlling the pyrolysis temperature of biomass substrates is a key strategy to improve the performance of supported photocatalysts. In this work, balsa wood was thermally treated at different temperatures ranging from 260 °C to 500 °C to modulate its hierarchical pore structure and chemical composition, followed by vacuum-assisted impregnation with a BiVO₄ precursor to fabricate BiVO₄@wood composites. Specifically, pyrolysis at 260 °C preserved the natural honeycomb architecture and facilitated a uniform, film-like BiVO₄ coating, whereas higher temperatures (400 °C, 500 °C) caused structural collapse and resulted in dispersed BiVO₄ particles. Compositional analysis showed staged degradation: selective hemicellulose decomposition at 260 °C produced an oxygen-rich porous network while retaining the cellulose framework, whereas temperatures ≥ 400 °C led to complete cellulose decomposition and lignin carbonization, accompanied by surface oxygen depletion. Among the synthesized composites, the sample pyrolyzed at 260 °C (IW-260) exhibited the most favorable features, including a well-preserved honeycomb architecture, enhanced porosity, abundant oxygen-containing functionalities, and the narrowest bandgap (1.50 eV). These attributes enabled IW-260 to achieve a Rhodamine B degradation efficiency of 90.03% within 120 min, significantly outperforming catalysts derived from higher-temperature substrates. This superior performance is attributed to the synergistic effects of reduced optical interference from lignin, enhanced porosity from hemicellulose removal, and optimal BiVO₄ film formation. This study identifies 260 °C as the optimal pyrolysis temperature for producing high-performance BiVO₄@wood photocatalysts and provides fundamental insights for designing wood-based materials for advanced wastewater remediation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":810,"journal":{"name":"Wood Science and Technology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147560772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unveiling intraspecific variation in growth, heartwood pigmentation, and oil chemistry of East Indian sandalwood: case study","authors":"Muniammal Vediappan Durai,&nbsp;Gaddam Sudharshan Reddy","doi":"10.1007/s00226-026-01759-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00226-026-01759-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>East Indian sandalwood (<i>Santalum album</i> L.) is valued globally for its fragrant heartwood and premium essential oil, yet natural variation in growth and heartwood traits remains insufficiently documented. This study investigated growth attributes, heartwood properties, and essential oil composition of <i>S. album</i> in the Nachivayal Sandalwood Reserve II (NSR-II), Marayoor, Kerala. Forty-seven trees—representing 40% of the 118 trees across defined girth classes—were sampled. Each tree was assessed for biometric traits; heartwood dimensions; bark and sapwood thickness; heartwood color (CIELAB parameters); and essential oil yield and santalol composition using GC–MS. Marked variation was recorded in growth and wood traits, with heartwood proportion ranging from 61% to 98% and oil yield from 3.1% to 6.7%. PCA and correlation analyses revealed strong positive associations among growth traits, heartwood thickness, and heartwood proportion, indicating coordinated allocation to structural development. In contrast, oil constituents—particularly β-santalol—showed weak or negative relationships with growth traits, suggesting potential trade-offs between biomass accumulation and secondary metabolite production. Heartwood darkened and became more saturated with increasing girth, and these color attributes correlated positively with oil yield and total santalol content. High-yielding, santalol-rich individuals identified in NSR-II provide promising germplasm for breeding, clonal propagation, and conservation. The findings enhance understanding of trait variability and support targeted strategies for sustainable management and genetic improvement of <i>S. album</i>.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":810,"journal":{"name":"Wood Science and Technology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147560317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preparation and mechanism analysis of self-healing superhydrophobic wood with high durability, dimensional stability and self-cleaning property","authors":"Tiantian Yang,&nbsp;Lingcheng Wang,&nbsp;Dan Luo,&nbsp;Ao Shen,&nbsp;Changtong Mei","doi":"10.1007/s00226-026-01762-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00226-026-01762-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Inherent hydrophilicity of wood usually induces water-related problems and impacts wood sustainable application. This study proposed to transform hydrophilic wood into superhydrophobic materials by introducing biomass-derived furfuryl alcohol (FA) prepolymer and self-made polymerized FA nanoparticles (PFAnps) through simple surface spray. The modified poplar wood (<i>Populus euramericana</i> Cv.) (PFA-PFAnps wood) showed excellent superhydrophobicity and the contact angle (CA) and dynamic rolling angle reached 161.8° and 3.4°. The CA kept over 161° even after 120 s, indicated the time stability of fabricated superhydrophobic wood. Besides, PFA-PFAnps wood exhibited durable superhydrophobicity and remarkable resistance to mechanical abrasion, tape peeling, knife scratching and high temperature. The mechanisms were revealed with SEM, optical profilometer and FTIR analysis: ①in-situ polymerized furfural resin and PFAnps formed dense robust coatings, which covered many cells, voids and sorption sites, protecting wood from external influence; ②hydrophobic furfural resin polymerization fixed PFAnps on wood surface and protected the micro-nano rough structure. Besides, PFA-PFAnps wood presented self-healing superhydrophobicity because the constructed coating simulating natural lotus leaves owned uniform micro-nano structures and composition from inside out. When the surface layer was destroyed, the new exposed surface after brief sanding had similar structures and composition and superhydrophobicity. PFA-PFAnps wood displayed remarkable self-cleaning property, and improved dimensional stability suggested by 27% reduction of volume change mainly due to combined effects of water path blocking, sorption site coverage and cell wall bulking. The new fabrication approach and mechanism analysis may provide references for upgrading low-quality wood and preparing superhydrophobic materials for wide and sustainable application against water attack.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":810,"journal":{"name":"Wood Science and Technology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147560316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Radial distribution of tension wood properties in a thick branch of Zelkova serrata Makino. A view of G-layer development","authors":"Tamaki Kugimiya,&nbsp;Hiroyuki Yamamoto,&nbsp;Masato Yoshida,&nbsp;Han Wang,&nbsp;Miyuki Matsuo-Ueda,&nbsp;Naohisa Kameyama","doi":"10.1007/s00226-026-01761-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00226-026-01761-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Effective utilization of small-diameter hardwood, including large-diameter branches, has become increasingly important for sustainability. These materials consist of small-diameter logs with irregular shapes; consequently, the timber products contain both sapwood and heartwood and frequently exhibit tension wood (TW). Therefore, the continuous variation from pith to bark, and from TW to opposite wood (OW) must be considered when using these logs for timber. However, there is limited information on the radial heterogeneity of physical properties from the pith to the bark, particularly regarding TW formation. In this study, an inclined thick branch of a keyaki tree (<i>Zelkova serrata</i> Makino) was used to measure the radial distribution of wood physical properties—such as hygrothermal recovery (HTR) strain, drying strain, cellulose crystallinity index (<i>C.I</i>.), and microfibril angle (<i>MFA</i>) related to G-layer proportion—from the pith to the bark. On the upper half of the inclined branch, the G-layer was formed, and its proportion remained nearly uniform. Higher <i>C.I</i>., smaller <i>MFA</i>, and greater drying strain were observed in this region, primarily influenced by the G-layer proportion. The HTR strain exhibited behavior characteristic of TW near the bark on the upper side. However, as it approached the pith, the HTR strain displayed behavior distinct from that of TW. This suggests that the HTR strain reflects not only the G-layer proportion but also other factors related to the distance from the pith, such as the history of residual growth stress accumulation in the xylem during secondary growth.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":810,"journal":{"name":"Wood Science and Technology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147441688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing analytical techniques for wood metabolomics through a comparison of DART-TOFMS and GC×GC-TOFMS for species-level wood identification","authors":"Seo Lin Nam,&nbsp;Erin R. Price,&nbsp;Martin Williams,&nbsp;Isabelle Duchesne,&nbsp;Nathalie Isabel,&nbsp;James J. Harynuk","doi":"10.1007/s00226-026-01755-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00226-026-01755-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Illegal logging poses a significant threat to ecosystems and undermines legal timber markets. Efforts to combat the issue are often hindered by the lack of robust tools for species-level wood authentication. Traditional methods such as anatomical observations and DNA analysis frequently struggle to achieve accurate species-level identification. Chemical profiling of wood metabolites has emerged as a promising alternative. Two powerful techniques, Direct Analysis in Real Time Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (DART-TOFMS) and Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (GC×GC-TOFMS) offer unique strengths for wood identification. DART-TOFMS enables rapid chemical analysis with minimal sample preparation. GC×GC-TOFMS, known for its exceptional separation capabilities, allows for detailed chemical profiling that may enhance species-level discrimination. Despite their potential, direct comparisons of these two techniques for species-level classification have not been done yet. In this study, we present a comparative analysis using 60 wood core samples from two <i>Quercus</i> (Oak) species and 60 stemwood samples from three <i>Picea</i> (Spruce) species. Each sample was analyzed using both DART-TOFMS and GC×GC-TOFMS. Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) was employed for classification modeling, with feature selection based on VIP scores. Our results show that both techniques demonstrated strong classification performance in differentiating both <i>Quercus</i> and <i>Picea</i> species. Notably, GC×GC-TOFMS yielded slightly higher classification accuracy in this study, which may be attributed to its enhanced separation capabilities and ability to resolve structurally similar compounds such as isomers. The findings from this work will contribute to a deeper understanding of the capabilities of both techniques in wood metabolomics, with applications in forensic science and efforts to combat illegal logging.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":810,"journal":{"name":"Wood Science and Technology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147441687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analysis of mode I fracture propagation in wood using high-resolution full-field measurements and imaging","authors":"Arthur Bontemps,&nbsp;Raphaël Langlois,&nbsp;Benoît Blaysat,&nbsp;Gaël Godi,&nbsp;Rostand Moutou Pitti,&nbsp;Emmy Voyer,&nbsp;Joseph Gril","doi":"10.1007/s00226-026-01754-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00226-026-01754-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Experimental characterization of wood fracture properties raises a number of challenges: crack tip location or the application of equivalent linear elastic fracture mechanics theory to a heterogeneous and anisotropic material. This article presents the application of the Localized Spectrum Analysis, a full-field measurement method, to obtain high-resolution strain maps for the analysis of three mode I crack propagation tests on TDCB silver fir wood specimens. The strain maps presented enabled us to identify annual rings through stiffness variations, to observe internal cracks through abnormal compression zones, and to determine the material’s resistance-curves, therefore its critical energy release rate. This work opens up interesting prospects for the use of new measurement methods in the characterization of wood fracture properties.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":810,"journal":{"name":"Wood Science and Technology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147441319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of hydroxyl groups and pores on moisture sorption behavior of heat-treated wood and its pore structure prediction","authors":"Xiehengyu Huang,&nbsp;Wei Li,&nbsp;Wenjing Liu,&nbsp;Zhihong Zhao,&nbsp;Wang Han","doi":"10.1007/s00226-026-01756-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00226-026-01756-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Thermal treatment has become an important approach to improve the dimensional stability and durability of wood, owing to its environmental friendliness and sustainability. During thermal treatment, the hydrophilic functional groups and pore structure of wood undergo significant changes, thereby affecting its hygroscopicity; however, the dynamic coupling relationship and quantitative contributions of these factors under varying relative humidity (RH) remain insufficiently clarified, and the characterization of cell wall pores at different RH levels is still challenging. To address these issues, this study refined the Horikawa-Do (H-D) model to quantify the contents of hydroxyl-bound water and pore-confined free-bound water in heat-treated wood under different RH levels, and further developed cell wall pore prediction model based on sorption isotherms. The results showed that both hydroxyl-bound water and pore-confined free-bound water coexist at any RH. At low to medium RH, hydroxyl-bound water adsorption predominates, whereas at high RH, pore-confined free-bound water adsorption dominates. Thermal treatment reduced the hydroxyl content of wood and enhanced hydroxyl binding energy, thereby significantly decreasing hydroxyl-bound water content, while increasing the hygroscopic ratio of pore-confined free-bound water (from 2.02 to 4.15 at 90% RH). This caused the “equilibrium point” between the two hygroscopic mechanisms to shift toward lower RH with increasing treatment temperature, indicating that thermal treatment primarily reduced wood hygroscopicity by decreasing hydroxyl-bound water. In addition, the average size of water clusters associated with moisture sorption was positively correlated with RH but negatively correlated with treatment temperature. The pore size prediction model revealed that the dominant hygroscopic pore size range in wood treated at 230 °C (1.58–2.36 nm) was significantly narrower than that in untreated wood (1.93–3.07 nm), with reductions of 22.2% and 34.1% in the minimum and maximum pore sizes, respectively. These findings systematically elucidate the microscopic mechanisms underlying the improvement of wood dimensional stability by thermal treatment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":810,"journal":{"name":"Wood Science and Technology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147362941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study on the synergistic modification of Chinese fir wood cell walls by carbon dots and polyethylene glycol","authors":"Lulu Gao,&nbsp;JingRu Zhang,&nbsp;Qi Liu,&nbsp;Hui Xu,&nbsp;MengJia Wan,&nbsp;Xin Guan","doi":"10.1007/s00226-026-01753-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00226-026-01753-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The high-value utilization of thinning residues from plantation forests has long been a key focus for sustainable forestry development. The critical challenge lies in the green and value-added utilization of forestry waste and the enhancement of its performance. In this study, thinning Chinese fir wood was used as a carbon source to synthesize carbon dots via a hydrothermal method. Polyethylene glycol was employed to modify the carbon dots, forming PEG-CDs, and their synergistic effect in modifying the cell walls of thinning Chinese fir wood was investigated. The results show that PEG modification successfully introduced hydroxyl and ether hydrophilic groups onto the surface of the carbon dots, enabling their interaction with lignin and cellulose through hydrogen bonding and ether linkages. The PEG-CDs were uniformly distributed within the cell walls and pores of the wood. Furthermore, the modified wood exhibited 14% increase in thermal stability and a 17% improvement in cell wall modulus. Through a ‘strengthening wood with wood’ strategy, this study elucidated the nanoscale reinforcement mechanism of PEG-modified CDs via multiscale characterization. A low-energy, fully biomass-based wood functionalization approach was developed, offering a novel strategy for the green valorization of forestry waste and the design of high-performance eco-friendly wood materials.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":810,"journal":{"name":"Wood Science and Technology","volume":"60 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147363366","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}