Scientists have designed ‘transparent wood’ that could replace conventional glass in windows. Unlike traditional glass, the transparent wood can withstand much stronger impacts and will bend or splinter when damaged, instead of shattering. While this is not the first example of optically transparent wood, previous developments have focused on the study of wood anatomy on a microscopic level. To develop transparent wood, researchers immersed the wood in a bleach solution at room temperature to remove the light absorbing substance from the structure. ‘Switching to transparent wood could prove to be cost efficient as well,’ researchers shared in a statement.

Source: Daily Mail October 05, 2020 19:00 UTC