Maryland Engineers Create Durable Wood Carbon Sponge (VIDEO) University of Maryland This video is under embargo. Please login to access this video. Caption Normal carbonized wood (left) is so fragile that any reasonable applied force pulverizes it irreversibly into ash and dust. The wood carbon sponge (right) is capable of enduring repeated compression and other extreme mechanical conditions. Credit University of Maryland Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.