Scientists make see-through wood

A group of scientists from University of Maryland at College Park have devised a way to create wood that is almost transparent.

The process involves stripping away most of the substances found in the wood, and binding what's left in a resin that makes it both clear and more rigid.

The first step to remove the wood’s lignin, which gives it its color. To do this, the wood is boiled for 12 hours in a solution of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfite, and water . After rinsing in warm water, it is then soaked in hydrogen peroxide.

At this point, the wood is colorless but still not see-through. In the second step, an epoxy resin is injected. This fills up the microscopic spaces in the wood, strengthening it and making it translucent.

In an interview with CNN Style, Dr. Liangbing Hu of the University of Maryland's Department of Material Science and Engineering said he sees the see-through wood as a potential substitute for glass in buildings. 

"Glass windows are a big problem in the summer and winter, they have bad thermal isolation," Hu said.

Treated wood could also help boost the efficiency of solar lighting systems.

"If you place the transparent wood in front of a solar cell, the amount of light absorbed will be higher, and efficiency can increase up to 30%," he said.

Hu also pointed out the strength of the material, which he claimed is relatively stronger than steel.

"Potentially, the wood could be made to match or even exceed the strength of steel per weight, with the added benefit that the wood would be lighter in weight," Hu explained.

And yet, despite being a new material, transparent wood lends itself to the application of age-old carpentry skills.

"It's exciting. And because the material has been used for a long time, there's already a lot of know-how and manufacturing infrastructure in the wood industry, so this field will develop very quickly," Hu concluded. — Kiersnerr Gerwin Tacadena/TJD, GMA News