KYOTO ¨C The global push among carmakers to make ever lighter vehicles is leading some auto suppliers in Japan to turn to what seems like an unlikely substitute for steel ¡ª wood.
Japanese researchers and auto component makers say a material made from wood pulp weighs just one fifth the weight of steel, and can be five times stronger.
The material ¡ª known as cellulose nanofiber ¡ª could become a viable alternative to steel in the decades ahead, they say, although it faces competition from carbon-based materials and remains a long way from being commercially viable.
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