Sustainable, recyclable, and highly wear-resistant wood matrix as a new paper-based friction material

Shifting of the preparation strategy of paper-based friction materials from unsustainable to green, environmentally friendly, and recyclable constitutes an important part of low-carbon manufacturing. Herein, a solvent encapsulation strategy involving wood dissolution in a deep eutectic solvent and lignin–cellulose structural reorganization was adopted to obtain a recyclable wood-based slurry from poplar powder. Lignin–cellulose film (LCF) was obtained by vacuum filtration and followed by removal of moisture from slurry. Micro-nanocellulose was used as a reinforcement, which interacted with the lignin binder through hydrogen bonding. The average tensile strength and flexibility of LCF reached 68.7 MPa and 3.06 MJ m −3 respectively. With a minimum coefficient of friction of 0.19 and a minimum wear rate of 6.9 × 10 −3 mm 3 (N m) −1 , LCF could maintain long-lasting frictional stability in a stable condition. Moreover, the wood-based slurry could be easily recycled through convenient experimental treatments, or degraded by microorganisms in the natural environment within 40 days. This sustainable wood-based material obtained via a green and recyclable production strategy provides a promising alternative method to that of traditional paper-based friction materials. Graphical abstract Herein, a solvent encapsulation strategy which involved wood dissolution in deep eutectic solvent (DES) and lignin–cellulose structural reorganization was adopted to obtain recyclable wood-based films from poplar wood, which shows high mechanical strength, excellent flexibility, water stability, and high wear resistance.