Scientists Create Transparent Wood

By -

Scientists Create Transparent Wood, Find Out Its Uses
Traditional Wood
A group of scientists have found a way to make a transparent wood. 
(Photo : Putu Sayoga/Getty Images)
Scientists at the University of Maryland at College Park have found a way to make invisible wood come true.

Wood is one of the important materials in building homes and buildings. But what if a traditional wood can turn into more innovative material?

Scientists at the University of Maryland, College Park have been busy working to develop a superior, transparent version of wood for over the past year. Dr. Liangbing Hu of the University's Department of Material Science and Engineering described the wood that they are working on as sturdier than traditional wood. He added this wood can be placed in less "environmentally friendly materials," such as plastics.

Modern urban architecture depends on the use of glass and steel and replacing these materials with transparent. Furthermore, some architect and building owners are considering biodegradable wood that could revolutionize design concepts because these materials may help reduce heating costs and help to lower fuel consumption.

Hu described the process of creating clear wood. First step is to chemically remove the lignin, an organic substance found in vascular plants. Manufacturers of pulp for paper also remove this substance because this is the reason why the yellowish color appears on wood.

The second step is filling the channels, or veins of the wood with an epoxy - this is very important as epoxy serves as strengthening agent, according to Hu.

"These tiny fibers that form the walls of channels, are what makes wood so robust," Hu explained in a report by CNN.
"We don't disturb these channels -- and so for the first time, we can maintain the backbone structure of the wood, and make it transparent, while simultaneously making it stronger," he added.

This is not the first the time that someone made wood transparent. But this is the first time that a group of researchers have produced 10 mm-thick piece of wood, sized 100 mm by 100 mm in area, which is almost completely transparent, according to Quartz.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tiny, Lens-Free Camera Could Hide in Clothes, Glasses

By -
Image
The device, a square that measures just 0.04 inches by 0.05 inches (1 by 1.2 millimetres), has the potential to switch its " aperture " among wide angle, fish eye and zoom instantaneously. And because the device is so thin, just a few microns thick, it could be embedded anywhere. (For comparison, the average width of a human hair is about 100 microns.)
Read more

Three Dimensional Printing

By -
Image
                              Three Dimensional Printing Inventors Max Bogue and Peter Dilworth have invented a unique pen that draws in the air. A colorful spool of plastic thread is fed into the pen. The thread is then extruded as heated plastic that cools and solidifies instantly as it exits the tip. This allows solid 3D structures to be drawn on any surface or from any surface into the air. The pen, called a 3Doodler, weights approximately 7 ounces (198 g) and is 7 inches (17.7 cm) long. It requires no technical knowledge or software and plugs into an electrical outlet. Max and Peter have received over 2.2 million dollars worth of advanced orders for their three dimensional printing pen. They expect to fulfill those orders and launch the product in the fall of this year. The co-inventors met while working for WowWee, a company based in Hong Kong that develops consumer technologies. ...
Read more

BIOME CAR

By -
Image
BIOME CAR Mercedes-Benz has been an innovator for decades. You can thank the German auto manufacturer for diesel and supercharged engines on passenger cars, antilock brakes, electronic stability systems and more. But nothing could be more innovative than the  BIOME concept car , unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2010. Here's how the official press release described the vehicle: "The Mercedes-Benz BIOME grows in a completely organic environment from seeds sown in a nursery. Out on the road the car emits pure oxygen, and at the end of its lifespan it can be simply composted or used as building material." Engineers from the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad, Calif., created the car as part of the Los Angeles Design Challenge, which called for a safe and comfortable compact car of the future that could accommodate four passengers, demonstrate good handling and weigh only 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms). The BIOME represents...
Read more