Wooden Steak Knife Reportedly 3x Sharper Than Steel

Wooden Steak Knife Reportedly 3x Sharper Than Steel

In the latest issue of the materials science journal Matter, the UMD scientists detail their process. First they put the natural wood through a chemical process called delignification, in which the lignin (a polymer that lends rigidity to wood and bark) is removed from the material. This makes the wood flexible and squishy, which may sound backwards at first, but is vital to the next step in the process. The scientists then densify the wood by putting it in a hot press, in which both heat and pressure are applied. The result? Hardened wood, or HW, which is 23 times harder than the starter material.

The strength found in HW relies on the cellulose packed inside, which makes up nearly half of wood’s natural components. The cellulose offers more structural integrity than certain man-made ceramics and metals, making wood a viable option for construction and cooking.

Wooden Steak Knife Reportedly 3x Sharper Than Steel

From here, it’s just a matter of turning the HW into a usable product by carving the material and polishing it with mineral oil (an essential agent in making the HW water-resistant and long-lasting). The team at UMD used their fresh-pressed HW to create nails and knives, both of which stood up to their more traditional metal counterparts. As it turns out, HW nails are as strong as steel nails, but come with the added bonus of being rust-resistant. HW dinner knives boast triple the strength of steel dinner knives—and yes, they can be thrown in the dishwasher after a nice steak dinner.

Much of the team’s motivation for creating HW tools appears to be environmentally-focused. “Widely used hard materials, e.g. alloys and ceramics, are often nonrenewable and expensive. Their production requires high energy consumption and often leads to negative environmental impacts,” the study reads. Steel, for instance, is particularly susceptible to supply chain issues and must be forged under extremely high temperatures. Finding ways to turn bulk natural wood into HW allows scientists to create the potential for sustainable and low-cost alternatives to current manufacturing methods.

Plus, there’s something to be said about the elegance of a wooden knife on the dining table.

Continue reading

Scientists Confirm the Presence of Water on the Moon
Scientists Confirm the Presence of Water on the Moon

Scientists have confirmed the discovery of molecular water on the moon. Is there any of it in a form we can use? That's less clear.

Review: The Oculus Quest 2 Could Be the Tipping Point for VR Mass Adoption
Review: The Oculus Quest 2 Could Be the Tipping Point for VR Mass Adoption

The Oculus Quest 2 is now available, and it's an improvement over the original in every way that matters. And yet, it's $100 less expensive than the last release. Having spent some time with the Quest 2, I believe we might look back on it as the headset that finally made VR accessible to mainstream consumers.

SpaceX Launches ‘Better Than Nothing’ Starlink Beta
SpaceX Launches ‘Better Than Nothing’ Starlink Beta

Those lucky few who have gotten invitations to try the service will have to pay a hefty up-front cost, and the speeds aren't amazing. Still, it's a new generation of satellite internet.

Samsung, Stanford Built a 10,000 PPI Display That Could Revolutionize VR, AR
Samsung, Stanford Built a 10,000 PPI Display That Could Revolutionize VR, AR

Ask anyone who has spent more than a few minutes inside a VR headset, and they'll mention the screen door effect. This could eliminate it for good.