Transparent, Conductive Wood

Apr-03-19 A transparent wood able to store and release heat could offer an inexpensive alternative to the glass currently used in windows and solar panels.

The material builds on previous research by KTH researchers, who created a transparent wood by removing the lignin from the cell walls of balsa wood and combining the remaining fibers with plexiglass (PMMA).

Continuing that work, the team—led by the same Professor Lars Berglund—added the phase change polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG) to wood fiber and PMMA mixture. The result is a material able to absorb heat and store energy that is released as it cools, making it an effective, insulating building material more environmentally friendly than glass, plastic and concrete.

More Info about this Invention:

[NEWATLAS.COM]
[ACS.ORG]

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