Researchers are working on a technology that can deliver transparent wood as a more durable alternative to glass and plexiglass. Transparent wood is reportedly 10 times stronger than glass and 3 times stronger than Plexiglass. The revolutionary technology will mark a watershed in the development of alternatives to the commonly used glass for screens including smartphone screens.

A report from the journal Scientific American outlines the work of Lars Berglund, a Swedish researcher. The article also highlighted the work of a team of researchers at the University of Maryland working on transparent wood.

Glass has evolved over the years to be the default material for displays but the transparent wood alternative display seems to be a very tantalizing alternative. Lars Berglund is affiliated with the KTH Institute of Technology in Sweden and his research points to a promising future for transparent wood in various applications. The process of making wood to be transparent involves modifying or removing lignin from the wood. Lignin is a glue-like substance that holds the cells that transport water and nutrients throughout the tree, giving the tree a brown color.

The researchers bleached or removed the lignin in the wood and then filled it with epoxy resin to make it transparent. Berglum and the UM team’s lead scientist, Liangbing Hu, multimeter-thick sheets of transparent wood offer up to 90% light transmittance. This high transmittance rate however reduces as the thickness of the wood increases up to a centimeter. The researchers also carried out extensive tests to establish the durability and reliability of transparent wood over glass/ Plexiglass.

The researchers are of the view that transparent wood could be a great alternative to utilize in displays instead of glass or plastics. It can also be possibly used as a replacement for glass windows because of its enhanced durability. Such transparent windows can be used to mimic smart windows that can be seen as transparent sometimes and tinted at other times.

There are still concerns about the environmental friendliness of transparent wood since it is produced from a petroleum-derived plastic product epoxy resin. However, the researchers are hopeful of obtaining a sustainable alternative to epoxy resin. When this is achieved, then we may have entered the era of transparent wood displays in our smartphones and other devices.

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Technology is expanding exponentially in the past few years and now, new research suggests that transparent material made of wood might replace glasses in the future. And, who knows it might trickle down to smartphones as well.

The research as spotted by PhoneArena, is published on the USDA(US Department of Agriculture) website. Researcher Junyong Zhu has the conducted research in collaboration with the University of Maryland and Colorado. As per the website, the team has developed the material made of Balsa wood. And, according to experts, the transparent wood is durable and lighter than glass.

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How is it made?

Besides, the researches have utilized the wood from the Balsa tree. Residing in the genus of flowering plants, this tree grows faster and can reach a height of 30m. It is already applicable widely in the field of model-building, packing, insulation, and floatation devices. Coming back, the wood from the Balsa tree is subject to an oxidization bath at room temperature. Additionally, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is penetrated to make it virtually transparent like Glass.

Advantages over Glass

The report says the transparent wood is five times thermal efficient, durable, and lighter than Glass. The presence of natural cellulose, when combined with the PVA polymer, will reportedly make the transparent material bend as well. Additionally, the material splinters, unlike Glass that shatters when broken. It basically means the transparent wood will tear into small spicule shaped pieces if damaged.

Also, the report says manufacturing Glass costs more energy bills, heavy carbon footprint, and emissions of up to 25,000 metric tonnes a year. Hence, the development of transparent material might help reduce this in the future and be sustainable as well.

For now, it is like a potential alternative to Glasses on houses’ windows. However, the report says it is compatible with existing industrial equipment, and hence, the transition to manufacturing is not far away. That said, it is expected to be used in the Automotive industry, and maybe as an alternative to Glass in display technology. Hence, we can’t rule out the possibility of this ultimately trickling down to Smartphone displays in the future.

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