Intelligent designs from nature: Biomimetic applications in wood technology

Biological systems, adapted through millions of years of evolution with various functional trade-offs, have emerged as a crucial source of inspiration for the design of advanced functional materials. Wood, with its unique structure and remarkable properties, is particularly promising for bio-inspired materials design. This review examines recent progress in the development of bio-inspired wood products that imitate the structures of natural organisms with specialized functions by integrating advanced technologies such as nanotechnology, molecular biology, interfacial chemistry, and physical modeling. From a bio-inspired perspective, an understanding of natural phenomena serves as the basis for fabricating a broad spectrum of wood-based bio-inspired smart materials with diverse functions and structures through rational material composition and structural design. The science of bio-inspired wood provides new concepts, designs, and compositions for a range of wood processing techniques, including chemical, physical, and biological processing, to confer new functions or intelligent responsiveness to wood.