Clear wood which is ‘lighter and stronger than glass’ could create energy-saving windows

Scientists have devised a method of producing a form of transparent wood that could provide an environmentally friendly alternative to glass windows.

The method involves brushing hydrogen peroxide onto the surface of the wood, leaving it under UV light to simulate natural sunlight, before dipping it in ethanol and filling the pores with a clear epoxy. .

The resulting material is both lighter and stronger than glass and offers much better insulation than glass.

Researchers at the University of Maryland said the process alters a structural component of wood called lignin that blocks light from passing through the material.

Clear wood has previously been touted as a way to improve a building’s heat-retaining properties while being biodegradable and easier to remove than glass.

Previous methods used to make transparent wood involved removing the lignin completely with the help of harsh chemicals, which results in a weaker piece of wood.

The new method actually makes the wood stronger, the researchers say, while dramatically reducing the energy needed to produce it.

“Clear wood is lighter and stronger than glass,” said Liangbing Hu, a professor at the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute who led the research.

“It could be used for windows and load-bearing roofs. It can potentially be used to create a transparent house. “

Clear wood has not yet found widespread commercial use as a building material, but a form of “augmented wood” has been used to create touch screens in car dashboards.

A Paris-based startup claims to be “nature’s next generation bioengineering” through its wooden touch screens.

Woodoo uses wood from regenerative forests to create translucent screens that are three times stronger than the original wood and more fire resistant.