A new study out of North America shows that transparent wood is a better choice than traditional glass when compared in a number of performance metrics.
Transparent wood allows for energy efficient windows that provides more uniform and soft lighting.
Optically transparent wood was developed by researchers at Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology.
The product lends itself better to mass production and may be a viable alternative for glass in windows and solar panels.
Researchers extracted the lignin from natural wood, which made it white in colour. A polymer was added to increase the optical transparency of the wood.
Researchers have found the new material is better for thermal insulation and to reduce energy efficiency of buildings.
