Wood is a beautiful material for building. He is very strong, cheap, renewable and very pliable. And it is highly likely that the tree will find its use in the manufacture of Windows and solar panels as a cheaper alternative to more traditional silicon glass. The fact that a group of researchers from the Swedish Royal Institute of technology (KHT), under the leadership of Professor Lars Berglund found a way of chemical removal of lignin from natural wood fibers.
Lignin, in turn, is a substance characterizing the stiff walls of plant cells. Thanks to his destruction, scientists were able to “bleach” the wood and make it almost transparent.
To achieve full transparency of the remaining material was mixed with pre-polymerized methyl methacrylate (PMMA). He added to the composition the properties of reflection and at the same time gave him the transparency properties. Depending on the scope of application, the transparency level can be changed by changing the ratio of natural wood cells and PMMA-composition.
It should be noted that this is not the first time scientists have been able to make the vegetation structure more transparent. For example, nanofibrillated cellulose is already used as the basis for creating computer chips based on wood. However, according to scientists from KHT, a new production process is much better suited for large-scale problems and mass production.
Currently, the researchers are looking for ways to increase the level of transparency of the material, by modifying the production process and using a variety of wood species.
“Very attracted to the fact that the material obtained from a renewable source,” says Berglund.
“It has excellent mechanical properties, including high toughness, strength, low density and low thermal conductivity.”