In addition to letting in light, new material has greater resistance and helps to stabilize the temperature of the environment.
It is difficult to imagine a window made of anything but glass. But a new translucent material developed by researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), in Sweden, can replace it with some advantages: transparent wood. According to its creators, the product is more resistant and insulates heat better than glass.
Swedish scientists have developed a process that removes lignin, a molecule that structures the cell wall of wood cells – and also absorbs light. This has resulted in a transparent wood. The acrylic researchers have been able synthisis a to the mixture to reduce light scattering. This previous work was carried out in 2016 and pointed out the substance promising aspects. To investigate how to further improve it, the team recently included the PEG substance, polyethylene glycol, a polymer that added excellent thermal characteristics to the compound.
Thanks to PEG, the heat given off during a sunny day, is stored in the window, keeping the interior cooler than the outside during hot hours. However, when nightfall occurs, the reverse process occurs: the polymer solidifies and releases heat into the casing. It is a remarkable way of ensuring that the apparatus remains stable and pleasant.
Transparent wood is not biodegradable, as it contains acrylic. But the researchers believe that this material can be replaced by another natural polymer. This would make the new material a better option, from an ecological point of view, than glass, plastic and concrete. The next step is to develop processes to make production viable on an industrial scale – which, according to the Swedish scientists, should happen in the next five years. If it comes to fruition, this innovative solution has a good chance of becoming a trend in architecture.
