Researchers unveil transparent, plastic-free wood
Researchers at the University of Osaka have developed a highly transparent material made entirely from natural wood without adding plastic. Published in Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, their findings open new possibilities for sustainable, plastic-free transparent materials for energy-efficient buildings and next-generation devices.
“Our results show that transparency is not only a matter of removing lignin,” said senior author Professor Masaya Nogi at SANKEN. “The intrinsic anisotropic structure of wood, specifically the cellulose microfibril skeleton, plays a decisive role. Understanding this directional effect gives us new freedom to design sustainable transparent materials from natural resources.”
