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Transparent wood windows have energy benefits

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Transparent wood windows have energy benefits

Transparent wood windows have energy benefits

Recently, scientists at the University of Maryland demonstrated transparent wood. The wood has been chemically treated and stripped of a colored compound called lignin, then filled with a transparent epoxy to give it strength. The epoxy-treated wood is about five times stronger than natural wood.

Transparent wood rejects heat

The researchers have been working with larger blocks of treated linden wood and have discovered that while the wood transmits only slightly less light than conventional glass, it offers surprisingly good UV resistance. The wood transmits significantly less heat than standard glass, meaning that it could offer superior energy efficiency.

The research team constructed a tiny house, using a transparent wood panel in the structure’s ceiling. The panel transmitted light evenly around the structure, but did not permit any significant buildup of heat, as would be expected with traditional glass. Because the transparent wood channels light in a different way, the distribution of light stays constant, even as the angle of the sun changes during the day. In addition to offering UV resistance, the transparent wood is not prone to shattering.

The transparency of the wood changes depending upon how the wood is cut. The researchers have focused their efforts on wood that has been cut against the grain, since it offers the best light control. Transparent wood has a slight haze to it, so it is not perfectly clear. The wood “glass” allows light transmission, but offers some privacy. The transparency of the glass could be modified by changing the angle of the cut, relative to the wood’s natural grain.

Controlling UV radiation is critical to improving energy efficiency and the overall comfort of an interior space. While there’s no way to know if or when transparent wood will be marketed, you can use other strategies to minimize solar heat gain through glass.

Glassprimer™ glass paint offers exceptional UV resistance, while delivering customized color that lasts. Guaranteed for 10 years when used on interior applications and applied according to manufacturer specifications, Glassprimer™ glass paint will not delaminate, chip or fade, even in direct sunlight and high humidity. That’s because Glassprimer™ glass paint makes a permanent bond with the surface of the glass – something that other paints don’t do.

If you’d like more information about working with Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Penn State Environmental Inquiry, via Flickr.com

Transparent wood acts like glass

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Transparent wood acts like glass

Transparent wood acts like glass

Researchers at the University of Maryland have found a way to make wood transparent. To remove the wood’s natural coloration, they chemically treated it to break down a compound called lignin, which gives the wood its tan-brown color. After removing the natural color, they hardened the remaining structure with a transparent epoxy.

Material insulates better than glass

The epoxy leaves the wood 4-6 times stronger than it would be naturally. As an added benefit, the wood is a better insulator than traditional plate glass. So far, the research team has only worked with small blocks of wood, but from a materials perspective, the results are promising.

Removing the lignin does not remove the wood’s natural ringed structure. That’s actually good from a materials perspective because it affects the way light is transmitted through the wood. The natural “channels” in the structure of the wood mean that light enters the channels and scatters differently than it would through ordinary plate glass.

Because the light is guided by the wood’s natural internal structures, it could be used in place of glass on a device like a computer monitor to reduce glare. The scientists also believe it could be adapted for use in automobiles, and could improve the ability of solar cells to trap light.

In their experiments, researchers used linden wood, and compared how the material performed when sliced both against and with the natural wood grain. Slicing the material with the grain allowed researchers to transmit light through the longer dimension of the block. The light penetrated the long channels of the natural wood structure and provided a relatively focused light transmission. Slicing the wood against the grain and transmitting light through the shorter dimension of the block diffused the light, but did not significantly impact the amount of light transmitted.

The research is far from complete, and wood may or may not ever serve as a replacement for glass, but the insulative properties of wood could make this an interesting materials choice for buildings and a lower-cost alternative for some mobile devices.

If you’d like more information about decorating with glass, please check out the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Niels Rameckers, via FreeImages.com