Wood may seem more at home in log cabins than modern architecture, but a specially treated type of timber could be tomorrow’s trendy building material.
Today, scientists report a new kind of transparent wood that not only transmits light, but also absorbs and releases heat, potentially saving on energy costs. The material can bear heavy loads and is biodegradable, opening the door for its eventual use in eco-friendly homes and other buildings.
The researchers will present their results today at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring 2019 National Meeting & Exposition. ACS, the world’s largest scientific society, is holding the meeting here through Thursday. It features nearly 13,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics.
“Back in 2016, we showed that transparent wood has excellent thermal-insulating properties compared with glass, combined with high optical transmittance,” says Céline Montanari, a Ph.D. student who is presenting the research at the meeting. “In this work, we tried to reduce the building energy consumption even more by incorporating a material that can absorb, store and release heat.”
As economic development progresses worldwide, energy consumption has soared. Much of this energy is used to light, heat and cool homes, offices and other buildings. Glass windows can transmit light, helping to brighten and heat homes, but they don’t store energy for use when the sun goes down.
Three years ago, lead investigator Lars Berglund, Ph.D., and colleagues at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, reported an optically transparent wood in the ACS journal Biomacromolecules. The researchers made the material by removing a light-absorbing component called lignin from the cell walls of balsa wood. To reduce light scattering, they incorporated acrylic into the porous wood scaffold. The team could see through the material, yet it was hazy enough to provide privacy if used as a major building material. The transparent wood also had favorable mechanical properties, enabling it to bear heavy loads.
Building on this work, Montanari and Berglund added a polymer called polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the de-lignified wood. “We chose PEG because of its ability to store heat, but also because of its high affinity for wood,” Montanari says. “In Stockholm, there’s a really old ship called Vasa, and the scientists used PEG to stabilize the wood. So we knew that PEG can go really deep into the wood cells.”
Known as a “phase-change material,” PEG is a solid that melts at a temperature of 80 F, storing energy in the process. The melting temperature can be adjusted by using different types of PEGs. “During a sunny day, the material will absorb heat before it reaches the indoor space, and the indoors will be cooler than outside,” Montanari explains. “And at night, the reverse occurs –– the PEG becomes solid and releases heat indoors so that you can maintain a constant temperature in the house.”
The team encapsulated PEG within the de-lignified wood scaffold, which prevented leakage of the polymer during phase transitions. They also incorporated acrylic into the material to protect it from humidity. Like their earlier version, the modified wood was transparent, though slightly hazy, and strong, but had the added bonus of storing heat.
The researchers point out that the transparent wood has the potential to be more environmentally friendly than other building materials such as plastic, concrete and glass. In addition to its thermal-storage capabilities, the transparent wood could be easier to dispose of after it has served its purpose. “The PEG and wood are both bio-based and biodegradable,” Berglund notes. “The only part that is not biodegradable is the acrylic, but this could be replaced by another bio-based polymer.”
Now, the focus turns to scaling up the production process to be industrially feasible. The researchers estimate that transparent wood could be available for niche applications in interior design in as little as five years. They are also trying to increase the storage capacity of the material to make it even more energy-efficient.
Learn more: Transparent wood can store and release heat
The Latest on: Transparent wood
[google_news title=”” keyword=”transparent wood” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Transparent wood
- Attorneys release video of deadly cruiser crashon April 26, 2024 at 2:38 pm
The attorneys for the family of a Grand Rapids man who died after being hit by an unmarked police cruiser during a foot chase released footage of the crash, calling for transparency and a thorough ...
- This Is the “It” Stain for 2024, According to Behron April 26, 2024 at 1:15 pm
If you’re ready to give your outdoor space a makeover, you can find Tugboat exclusively at The Home Depot. Buy: Tugboat Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Exterior Wood Stain and Sealer, $48.98 ...
- Utah Highway Patrol sergeant arrested for allegedly groping 19-year-oldon April 16, 2024 at 3:31 pm
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper was arrested Tuesday after a young woman reported that he touched her under her clothing without her consent.
- The Best Deck Stains for a Restored Outdoor Spaceon April 13, 2024 at 1:27 pm
Stain is transparent and should still show the wood grain; however, paint covers and completely obscures the wood. Both products help preserve wood by repelling water and, depending on the brand ...
- The Best Fence Stains of 2024, Tested and Reviewedon March 30, 2024 at 1:12 am
Wood stains contain pigments and ingredients ... so to maintain the grain look, opt for a transparent stain. A dark color in a solid stain is the best way to cover the grain fully.
- Scientists Create Transparent Wood Nearly As Clear as Glass To Make Stronger, Better Insulating Windowson January 1, 2024 at 11:41 am
Newly invented transparent wood is the new material that could change the game for buildings and energy conservation. Transparent Wood: The Material of the Future For thousands of years ...
- Scientists develop transparent wood for smartphone screens, windowson December 13, 2023 at 1:20 am
This shift signifies a departure from the traditional domains of construction and paper industries for wood. Transparent wood is poised to become versatile, with potential applications ranging ...
- Flood TWF-SEMI Semi-Transparent Wood Stainon June 17, 2023 at 5:11 am
Unlock to see our ratings and compare products side by side The Flood TWF-SEMI Semi-Transparent Wood Stain is part of the Wood stains test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests ...
- Olympic Maximum Semi-Transparent Wood stainon March 6, 2019 at 7:40 am
Unlock to see our ratings and compare products side by side The Olympic Maximum Semi-Transparent is part of the Wood stains test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Wood stains models ...
- Video Details Construction Of Transparent Woodon November 26, 2018 at 5:36 pm
We’ve talked about transparent wood before. However, the process can be difficult to get just right. [NileRed] recently posted a video with very detailed instructions on how he’s doing it.
via Bing News