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On the way to sustainable transparent wood: a comprehensive characterization of novel products for green architecture and design
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DOI：10.1016/j.susmat.2026.e02183.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Aesthetic transparent wood is an emerging class of wood-based composites designed to combine enhanced light transmission with the visible identity of natural wood. In this work, two undervalued Mediterranean softwood species, Corsican Pine (Pinus nigra subsp. laricio (Poir.) Maire) and Cedar (Cedrus sp.), were investigated as substrates for the development of aesthetic transparent wood products. Wood templates with a thickness of 1 mm were obtained by a selective acid chlorite delignification treatment and subsequently vacuum infiltrated with a bio-based epoxy resin. Chemical, structural, optical, and mechanical properties were investigated by FT-IR, SEM, XRD, UV–Vis spectroscopy, tensile testing, and DMA analyses. The chemical treatment resulted in an average dry mass loss between 8% and 21%, depending on species and anatomical section, and promoted a marked reduction in the lignin/holocellulose (−82% to −90%) ratio accompanied by increased Segal crystallinity index and, slightly, crystallite size. Wood mesostructure was largely preserved and bio-epoxy resin effectively filled native porosity and newly formed voids. The optical transmittance of the obtained transparent wood substantially increased, reaching at 800 nm nearly 90% and 70% in the transverse and axial section, respectively. From a mechanical point of view, delignification weakened the native specimens, whereas epoxy infiltration restored and enhanced the structural response of the final composites, the tensile strength of Cedar and Corsican Pine reaching, respectively, 95 MPa of and 107 MPa. Overall, the results show that locally available Mediterranean softwoods can be converted into aesthetic transparent wood products that preserved the unique natural wood patterns while showing improved optical and mechanical properties. The obtained wood-based composites are particularly promising for the development of decorative functional elements as well in the fields of green architecture and interior design.
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