Abstract

Transparent wood (TW) has garnered significant global attention due to its unique properties. In this study, TW composites were fabricated using two timber species of different density classes: Ailanthus triphysa (common name: Ailanthus wood) and Hevea brasiliensis (common name: Rubberwood). Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and Hydrogen peroxide-based alkali method was used to modify the lignin in these veneer samples, producing a white cellulose template with a fully intact hierarchical cell structure. Subsequently, a cost-effective thermosetting unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) was infiltrated into the redesigned framework and polymerized to create rigid nanostructured transparent composites. High optical haze (of 94% and 89%) and favourable light transmittance of 59 and 55 percent were exhibited by the UPR-TW composites made from rubberwood and ailanthus wood, respectively. TW was characterised using Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The mechanical properties of TW were measured and compared with those of natural wood and pure-polymer. Furthermore, the anisotropic light diffusion behaviour displayed by TW in accordance with the fibre orientation indicates the utility of material as a potential light shaping device. Therefore, a cost-effective and commercially viable strategy to fabricate multipurpose TW composites using a combination of lesser-known timber species (LKTS) and UPR resin was successfully demonstrated.

Details

Title
Transparent wood composite prepared from two commercially important tropical timber species
Author
Anish, M. C. 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Pandey, Krishna K. 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Kumar, Rakesh 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru, India (GRID:grid.464875.c) (ISNI:0000 0004 1777 2330); Kerala Agricultural University, Department of Forest Products and Utilization, College of Forestry, Thrissur, India (GRID:grid.459442.a) (ISNI:0000 0001 2164 6327) 
 Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru, India (GRID:grid.464875.c) (ISNI:0000 0004 1777 2330) 
Pages
14915
Publication year
2023
Publication date
2023
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2862854226
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2023. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.