Researchers say they have created a new super-material in the laboratory. They say it is stronger, lighter and costs less than steel. But the new material is not a product of high technology or a metallic substance. It is wood. Researchers Liangbing Hu and Teng Li are with the University of Maryland in the United States. By using a few chemicals, heat and pressure, they have made wood three times denser and 10 times stronger. Hu says that means it can compete with some of the world’s strongest materials. We're interested in replacing steel and carbon fibers with strong wood structures, he said. The process does not require any special raw, unprocessed material. Hu said that means the cost of the product will be relatively low.
Title: Can Wood Be Stronger Than Steel?
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/steel_wood.m4a' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Can Wood Be Stronger Than Steel?' data-article-id='2931'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='6729'>Researchers say they have created a new super-material in the laboratory.</span> <span data-start-time='6729' data-end-time='13563'>They say it is stronger, lighter and costs less than steel.</span> <span data-start-time='13563' data-end-time='21708'>But the new material is not a product of high technology or a metallic substance.</span> <span data-start-time='21708' data-end-time='23521'>It is wood.</span> <span data-start-time='23521' data-end-time='32292'>Researchers Liangbing Hu and Teng Li are with the University of Maryland in the United States.</span> <span data-start-time='32292' data-end-time='44208'>By using a few chemicals, heat and pressure, they have made wood three times denser and 10 times stronger.</span> <span data-start-time='44208' data-end-time='51542'>Hu says that means it can compete with some of the world’s strongest materials.</span> <span data-start-time='51542' data-end-time='60250'>We're interested in replacing steel and carbon fibers with strong wood structures, he said.</span> <span data-start-time='60250' data-end-time='67542'>The process does not require any special raw, unprocessed material.</span> <span data-start-time='67542' data-end-time='73375'>Hu said that means the cost of the product will be relatively low.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/wood_steel.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=10285 data-hint-location='32292' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/what_does_dense_mean.m4a'>What does dense mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='have parts that are close together'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/combining_heat_and_pressure.m4a'><span>combining heat and pressure</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/have_parts_that_are_close_together.m4a'><span>have parts that are close together</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/looser_than_other_fibers.m4a'><span>looser than other fibers</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/stronger_than_wood_or_steel.m4a'><span>stronger than wood or steel</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=10286 data-hint-location='21708' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/what_is_the_new_material_made_of.m4a'>What is the new material made of?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='wood'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/wood.m4a'><span>wood</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/chemicals.m4a'><span>chemicals</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/fibers.m4a'><span>fibers</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/steel.m4a'><span>steel</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=10287 data-hint-location='60250' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/the_process_does_not_require_any__blank_.m4a'>The process does not require any <span class='blank'>special material</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='special material'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/laboratory_time.m4a'><span>laboratory time</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/additional_chemicals.m4a'><span>additional chemicals</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/special_material.m4a'><span>special material</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/2397/steel_or_carbon.m4a'><span>steel or carbon</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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