Transparent, glass-like wood could soon see novel applications in various technologies.
Discovering Transparent Wood
Around 30 years ago, Siegfried Fink, a botanist from Germany, wanted to see woody plants' internal workings without having to dissect them. Through bleaching plant cell pigments, the botanist made transparent wood, which he later published in a wood-technology niche journal.
The study in 1992 remained the last to look into transparent wood for over a decade. This was until researcher Lars Berglund was able to stumble over it.
The discovery of Fink inspired Berglund for reasons that were not botanical. Berglund, who is a materials scientist with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, specializes in working with polymer composites. He gained interest in making alternatives to plastic that were more robust.
Berglund was not the lone person interested in the virtues of wood. Through the ocean, the University of Maryland researchers were busy with a shared goal: to harness wood's strength for non-traditional purposes.
Transparent Wood Technology
Following years and years of experiments, the research is starting to see fruition. This glass-like wood may soon be used in smartphone screens, light fixtures, and even features for structures.
Wood nanotechnologist Qilian Fu from Nanjing Forestry University, who worked at Berglund's lab as a graduate student, believes the novel material shows promise.
Wood partially consists of several tiny vertical channels. With a tube shape, these cells move nutrients and water through a tree. When the tree is harvested and the moisture evaporates, air pockets are left behind.
To create wood that is see-through, scientists first must alter and remove the glue, known as lignin, which holds bundles of cells together and gives branches and trunks their brown, earthy tone. A white skeleton of hollow cells is left after removing or bleaching the lignin.
Due to how the cell walls bend light to a varying degree compared to the air in the pockets, the skeleton is opaque.
The novel wooden material is quite thin, having a thickness of just a millimeter and a centimeter. Nevertheless, the cells create a sturdy structure like a honeycomb. The wood's tiny fibers are also stronger than the best carbon fibers.
Liangbing Hu, who leads a research team working on see-through wood at the University of Maryland at College Park, explains that it is amazing how wood could be as sturdy as glass. Hu also emphasized engineered wood features in the Annual Review of Materials Research 2023.
Possible Applications
While the process may also work with wood that is thicker, the substance view becomes hazier due to the higher degree of scattered light. The material's strength and slim profile show that it could be an alternative material for products, such as touch screens made of thin glass or plastic that easily shattered. However, most research surrounding see-through wood focuses on its architectural potential, such as how it can be applied to windows.
Researchers are also working on modifications to boost the ability of the wood to release or hold heat. This would be helpful for energy-efficient buildings.
They are also looking into how the use and production of transparent wood can be more environmentally friendly.
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