Eco-friendly transparent wood for a brighter future

The purpose of the project is to investigate scalable production methods for transparent wood, and related material issues. The most important challenge is to avoid optical defects but still have a fast manufacturing method. We will investigate so-called resin transfer molding, which is used industrially for fiber composites.

The most important difference compared to efforts so far is that the resin used should be injected under pressure.The project´s long-term vision is to contribute with basic knowledge, especially about manufacturing and materials design, so that transparent wood can be used industrially.

It is necessary to understand mechanisms for light scattering, where the refractive index of the polymer used is of critical importance. The bioplastic used must be thermoplastic, because it facilitates recycling and shaping.

Compared to existing systems, we need to go from chemically cross-linked bio-based acrylate to thermoplastic bioacrylate.

We also need to design materials and processes to meet the requirements of intended applications: heat storage panels, LED lighting integrated in wood and semi-transparent decorative panels where the wood structure is visible.