With the aim to provide a strong and cheaper alternative to steel, engineers have created 'super wood' that is over 10 time stronger and tougher than steel.

Substances such as steel are some of the strongest materials, at least much stronger than wood, but are pretty expensive and heavy which led engineers from University of Maryland to come up with ‘super wood’.

The engineers have made the kind of wood that is lighter, stronger and cheaper than many of the titanium alloys ever. “This new way to treat wood makes it 12 times stronger than natural wood and 10 times tougher,” claimed team leader Liangbing Hu.

Publishing the research in the journal Nature, Hu asserted, “This could be a competitor to steel or even titanium alloys, as it is so strong and durable. It's also comparable to carbon fiber but much less expensive.”

Wood can now be used to filter water

The team used a new ‘densification’ method in order to create the strong ‘super wood’. Measuring the dense wood’s mechanical properties, the team tested new wood material and natural wood by shooting projectiles similar to bullets at it. The projectiles went straight through the natural wood, whereas on the other hand, the new wood stopped the projectile halfway through, reported Science Daily.

“It is both strong and tough, which is a combination not usually found in nature. It is as strong as steel, but six times lighter. It takes 10 times more energy to fracture than natural wood. It can even be bent and molded at the beginning of the process,” explained the co-leader Teng Li.

New Atlas reported, according to Hu, this new wood can replace steel in future as well, “This kind of wood could be used in cars, airplanes, buildings – any application where steel is used.”