Researchers at the University of Maryland intent on using the
power of wood for nontraditional applications have achieved
their goal.
As explained in Knowable Magazine, materials scientist Liangbing
Hu led a group that worked on developing transparent wood, which
tests showed was about 10 times tougher than glass and around
three times stronger than transparent plastics such as
Plexiglass.
¡°The results are amazing, that a piece of wood can be as strong
as glass,¡± said Hu, who reviewed transparent wood in the 2023
Annual Review of Materials Research.
Knowable Magazine noted that transparent wood could ¡°soon find
uses in super-strong screens for smartphones; in soft, glowing
light fixtures; and even as structural features, such as
color-changing windows.¡±
Creating transparent wood is a complicated process in which
scientists modify the cells into a sturdy material by removing
lignin, which is the glue that holds cell bundles together and
provides wood¡¯s earthy brown hues.
In short, natural wood is soaked in a bleaching solution before
being immersed in epoxy resin, which then ¡°bends light to a
similar degree to the cell walls [and] renders the wood
transparent.¡± Hu explained that the cells ¡°create a sturdy
honeycomb structure, and the tiny wood fibers are stronger than
the best carbon fibers.¡±
Per Knowable Magazine, the material is both thin enough and
strong enough to be a viable alternative to ¡°products made from
thin, easily shattered cuts of plastic or glass, such as display
screens.¡± For example, the French company Woodoo has used a
similar process to create wood screens for products such as car
dashboards and advertising billboards.
Transparent wood has also been found to be a better insulator
than glass, so it can be used to help buildings retain or keep
out heat. The ability to hold or repel heat would be useful for
energy-efficient buildings and makes transparent wood a better
temperature control than traditional glass.
Researchers said it will take time to add transparent wood to
mainstream markets, with embracing greener production schemes
and scaling up manufacturing the two necessary steps to do so.
¡°When you¡¯re trying to achieve sustainability, you don¡¯t only
want to match the properties of fossil-based materials,¡± said
C¨¦line Montanari, a materials scientist at RISE Research
Institutes of Sweden. ¡°As a scientist, I want to surpass this.¡±
Source: thecooldown.com