Advanced Research in Wood Composites

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 November 2026 | Viewed by 560

Special Issue Editors

International Joint Research Center for Biomass Materials of Ministry of Science and Technology, College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
Interests: bamboo microfiber functional materials; nanocellulose composites; electrospun biomass nanofibers; wood–plastic composites

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Guest Editor
1. ARCP Colab—Rede de Competências em Polímeros, Rua Júlio de Matos, 828/882, 4200-355 Porto, Portugal
2. LEPABE—Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
3. AliCE—Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Interests: wood-based products; bioadhesives; adhesives; polymers; polyphenols; lignocellulosic byproduct valorization; dyeing; packaging; coatings; polyurethanes
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The sustainable utilization of wood and natural fibers has emerged as a critical area of research in response to the growing demand for eco-friendly, high-performance materials. This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest advancements in wood composites, focusing on their innovative applications, material design, and environmental sustainability. Wood composites, enhanced with advanced processing techniques and functional materials, offer immense potential for diverse applications in construction, packaging, energy storage, and beyond. This Special Issue aims to provide selected contributions on advances in the synthesis, characterization, and applications of wood composites.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Development and applications of nanocellulose-enhanced wood composites;
  • Bamboo microfiber-based functional materials;
  • Electrospun biomass nanofibers for advanced applications;
  • Wood–plastic composites with enhanced mechanical and thermal properties;
  • Innovations in the life-cycle assessment of sustainable wood-based materials.

Dr. Kaimeng Xu
Dr. Jorge Santos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • wood composites
  • bio-based materials
  • wood–plastic composites
  • bamboo microfiber functional materials
  • environmental sustainability
  • nanocellulose composites

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 8338 KB  
Article
Solvent- and Catalyst-Free In Situ Esterification of Citric Acid and Mannitol: Synergistically Enhancing the Dimensional Stability and Mechanical Strength of Poplar Wood
by Li Yi, Kehao Cao, Dennis W. Hess, Lianpeng Zhang, Xijuan Chai, Kaimeng Xu and Linkun Xie
Forests 2026, 17(5), 551; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17050551 - 30 Apr 2026
Viewed by 173
Abstract
Wood is a sustainable material, but hygroscopicity can affect dimensional stability and mechanical durability. Recent research has increasingly focused on combining citric acid with various polyols as eco-friendly crosslinking systems to improve wood properties. Herein, a solvent-free and catalyst-free method was used to [...] Read more.
Wood is a sustainable material, but hygroscopicity can affect dimensional stability and mechanical durability. Recent research has increasingly focused on combining citric acid with various polyols as eco-friendly crosslinking systems to improve wood properties. Herein, a solvent-free and catalyst-free method was used to synthesize bio-based polyesters from citric acid and mannitol. In situ curing was carried out after vacuum-pressure impregnation of fast-growing poplar wood (Populus deltoides Marshall). Morphological characterization showed that the polyester filled the cell lumen and penetrated the cell wall structure. It was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and cross-polarization/magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis that the polyester formed covalent ester bonds with wood hydroxyl groups, which indicated successful chemical grafting. The dimensional stability and mechanical properties of the modified wood were greatly improved. The parallel compressive strength of the grain reached 41.5 MPa, which was 41.7% higher than that of the untreated wood. This research adopted a citric acid–mannitol polyester, providing a sustainable, economical, and scalable approach for the development of high-performance, degradable wood composites for construction/furniture applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research in Wood Composites)
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