Bioinspired superhydrophobic wood: From biomass functionalization to multifunctional applications

Bioinspired superhydrophobic wood represents a transformative category of functional materials that integrate the innate hierarchical architecture of lignocellulosic biomass-comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin-with rationally engineered surface properties. While previous reviews have often focused narrowly on hydrophobicity or isolated functional improvements, a systematic analysis linking multi‑scale structural features, surface modification strategies, and multifunctional performance in real‑world environments remains lacking. This review fills this gap by providing a comprehensive resource‑oriented perspective, focusing on the efficient utilization of wood's natural porosity and anisotropy for fabricating robust superhydrophobic surfaces through scalable techniques such as in‑situ growth, sol‑gel processing, and green coating methods. Beyond liquid repellency, we emphasize applications where superhydrophobicity enhances flame retardancy, photothermal conversion, and antimicrobial performance-enabling energy‑efficient building materials, solar‑powered water purification, and environmentally adaptive systems. A progressive "structure-property-application" framework establishes a causal-chain narrative, transforming this review from a technical compilation into a conceptual roadmap. Complementarily, a forward-looking analytical framework systematically maps the complete logical context-from materials and basic science, through key technologies and application scenarios, to future directions, such as AI‑assisted design and stimulus‑responsive systems, providing a research roadmap for developing high‑performance, biomass‑based superhydrophobic materials in alignment with circular bioeconomy goals.