News

Come visit us at our 'Timber Towers of Tomorrow' exhibit at The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2019, London from the 1st to 7th July 2019 (10am to 6pm) 

In a paper recently published in Plant Physiology we investigate the structure and function of one of an important component of plant biomass – galactoglucomannan (GGM). The GGM is a polysaccharide, a polymer made from multiple sugar molecules joined together. It is one of the principal components of softwood, wood from coniferous trees, which is t…

FLOWER aims to develop innovative flax fibre reinforcements for sustainable composites applications in the marine, automotive and point-of-sale advertising sectorsWe are delighted to announce that the FLOWER project (Flax composites, LOW weight, End of life and Recycling) has been approved by the Interreg VA France (Channel) England European cross-…

We are thrilled by the news that Professor Paul Dupree, our project Co-I has been named a 2017 Highly Cited Researcher,with the Dupree group’s research among the top 1% most cited works in the field of plant and animal biology. Professor Dupree commented that: “I’m very proud to be named a 2017 Highly Cited Researcher. This reflects the outstanding…

Our recently published paper in Biotechnology for BiofuelsIn a paper recently published in Biotechnology for Biofuels we are looking at a possible way to improve the processing of timber derived from conifers to feedstock used for sustainable manufacturing of novel biomaterials and biofuels. Softwood, as any other timber, is predominantly composed …

The team at the Centre for Natural Material Innovation has designed a super stretchy, strong and sustainable material that mimics the qualities of spider silk and viscose rayon, and is ‘spun’ from a material that is 98% water. Architects and chemists in our Centre have designed super-stretchy and strong fibres which are almost entirely composed of …

A new journal article "Effects of Xylan Side-Chain Substitutions on Xylan-Cellulose Interactions and Implications for Thermal Pretreatment of Cellulosic Biomass." has been published in Biomacromolecules by Professor Dupree. 

Natural Material Innovation Group participated the Cambridge Science Festival 2017 on 18 March. We held our demonstration stalls in the department of Chemistry. We demonstrated our research theme "Cells to skyscrapers: the science and engineering of 21st Century timber": understanding how plants support themselves, polymer impregnation of timber, a…

The new article, Folding of xylan onto cellulose fibrils in plant cell walls revealed by solid-state NMR,  was published in the journal Nature Communications. The study was led by Professor Paul Dupree team with his father, Professor Ray Dupree team at the Universities of Warwick. More details.

In the article entitled "Top of the tree: the case for wooden skyscrapers is not barking" Dr Michael Ramage discusses his research with the Centre for Natural Material Innovation which is investigating the use of wooden materials for tall buildings, including a conceptual study for an 80-storey wooden skyscraper (designed in collaboration with PLP …

A new article "The future of Timber" written by a first year PhD student Jan Lycyzakowski is now published in Cambridge University Science magazine, Blue sic. 

The Department is inviting applicants for two PhD studentships commercing 2016. The studentships are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Doctoral Training Studentship Scheme. Application for research undertaken should be in in any EPSRC theme which covers our research area “ Natural Materials, sustainable build…

On 14 May, the Group participated in the Festival of Plants at the Cambridge University Botanical Gardens. We set up several presentations and demonstrations to show the properties of natural materials, including: "Dancing Oats”:We set up a microscope and a monitor to show how a wild oat reacts to water, which explains how the plant germinates from…

London’s first timber skyscraper could be a step closer to reality this week after Michael Ramage and Rob Foster presented Mayor of London Boris Johnson with conceptual plans for an 80-storey, 300metre high wooden building integrated within the Barbican. As a part of our Supertall Timber Project, Michael and Rob are working with PLP Architecture an…

Dr Michael Ramage's comments were included in an article in the Guardian.Read More: Seashells or spider silk: how nature could transform the structure of cities