Comprehensive assessment of transparent wood degradation

Abstract

Transparent wood includes a group of composite materials consisting of a renewable component (various wood species) and a refractive-matching index polymer (petroleum or bio-based) with a wide range of applications. There are various types of polymers used for transparent wood preparation Due to their favourable optical, mechanical, and carbon-storing properties, transparent wood is ideal for use in, e.g., the automobile industry, construction, packaging, or electronics. In this study, acrylic-based transparent wood was prepared by deactivating chromophore groups in natural basswood (Tilia cordata, L.), followed by a subsequent vacuum-assisted 2-hydroxyethyl-methacrylate polymer infiltration. Fire characteristics, UV and biological resistance of this wood-polymer system were investigated. Transparent wood prepared for this study shows high resistance to wood decay fungi. Fire performance test shows higher resistance to initiation (higher time to ignition and critical heat flux)compared to natural wood and lower yields of carbon monoxide. When exposed to UV irradiation, colour, and transmittance change intensively only in the first hours of exposure, then only very gradually. On the other hand, transparent wood shows higher values of heat release rate and derived parameters.