Wooden windows? Scientists have successfully turned wood transparent

By Lulu Chang Published May 16, 2016

transparent wood screen shot 2016 05 16 at 3 33 11 pm — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Wood-colored may soon lose its meaning if scientists from the University of Maryland, College Park, manage to apply a new technique to the key byproduct of the trees of our world. In a nifty new process, a group of researchers have managed to strip away wood’s distinctive, well, wooden colors, and instead made it transparent. It takes just two steps (complicated as they may be) to turn a block of wood into what looks a lot like a block of plastic, and scientists are pretty thrilled about the implications of this new procedure.

So how did they do it? Dr. Liangbing Hu, a materials scientist at the Unviersity of Maryland, and his team took a block of wood and boiled it in water, sodium hydroxide, and a few additional chemicals for around two hours in order to remove the organix substance lignin, which is responsible for wood’s distinctive coloring. Then, the team poured epoxy atop the newly transparent block, making it four to six times stronger than before.

Recommended Videos

Because wood is both stronger and boasts better insulating capabilities than glass, and is more environmentally friendly than plastic, the see-through version could be used to make windows, tables, and much more.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

“We were very surprised by how transparent it could go,” Hu told the New York Times. “This can really open applications that can potentially replace glass and some optical material.”

Transparent wood would be ideal for light emission, Hu says, because it maintains a series of natural channels that direct light better than plastic or glass are able to. “In traditional material, the light gets scattered,” he said. “If you have this waveguide effect with wood, more light comes into your house.”

Of course, as thrilling as this may be, the Maryland-based team recognizes the limitations of the technique — at least, thus far. They’ve yet to turn blocks larger than five inches by five inches clear, so unless you’re looking to create windows the size of your hand, you may not want to break down your current glass panes just yet. That said, the team is hard at work scaling their two-step process to address the size constraints, so this might not be a problem for too much longer.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

Cars

Kia America COO says ending EV tax credit would be dumb

kia coo ending ev incentive dumb zeta evs

With Kia just getting started with the expansion of its U.S.-made electric-vehicle (EV) lineup, the automaker may have a good perspective on what losing tax incentives on EVs could mean for the industry and the economy.

The transition team of the incoming Trump administration is reportedly planning to end the federal $7,500 tax credit on the purchase or lease of an EV. Under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), an EV made in North America is eligible for the incentive.

Cars

Mercedes bets solar paint is part of EV-charging future

mercedes solar paint evs benz electric camper

It’s been said that Albert Einstein’s genius came from his ability to freely wonder and ask child-like questions way before he even tried applying science-based solutions.
It seems some within the R&D department at Mercedes-Benz might be similarly inspired. The German automaker is currently developing a special solar paint that, when applied on the surface of vehicles, can harness enough energy from the sun to power up EVs.
The energy generated by the paint’s solar cells can be used for driving or fed directly into a high-voltage battery.
“The photovoltaic system is permanently active and also generates energy when the vehicle is switched off,” Mercedes says. “In the future, this could be a highly effective solution for increased electric range and fewer charging stops.”
The layer of paste to be applied on EVs is significantly thinner than a human hair, yet its photovoltaic cells are packed full of energy. Covering the surface of a mid-size SUV with the paint could produce enough energy for up to 7,456 miles per year under ideal conditions, Mercedes says.
This does imply being in geographic locations with plenty of sun hours during the day.
But even with less-than-ideal sun hours, the energy yielded can make a significant difference to EV charging. Mercedes says the solar-paint charge could provide 100% of needed energy for an average daily drive of 32 miles in sun-drenched Los Angeles. In much less sunny conditions -- such as around Mercedes’ headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany -- it would still yield enough energy for 62% of the distance.
An added bonus for environmentally-conscious drivers: Unlike some solar panels, the solar paint contains no rare earth or silicon – only non-toxic, readily available raw materials. It’s also easy to recycle and considerably cheaper to produce than conventional solar modules, Mercedes says.
The likes of Aptera, Sono Motors, Lightyear, and Hyundai have also been researching how to best harness solar energy to power up EVs.
But that’s been mostly through solar panels yielding enough energy for small and light vehicles, such as Aptera’s three-wheel solar EV. Solar paint could bring solar charging for bigger vehicles, such as electric SUVs, Mercedes says.

Cars

Volkswagen’s affordable ID.2 EV remains on track

vw id2 volkswagen affordable ev 1

It’s no secret that Volkswagen has been facing a huge slump in sales in Europe and China, forcing it to close plants in Germany.

But unlike other European automakers who have stuck to producing high-end electric vehicles (EVs), the German automaker keeps on reaffirming its commitment to bringing affordable EVs to market, including in the U.S.