Turing Pattern-Inspired Highly Transparent Wood for Multifunctional Smart Glass with Superior Thermal Management and UV-Blocking Ability

Transparent wood for smart glass can decrease indoor energy consumption, while simultaneously offering a comfortable indoor temperature and facilitating effective light harvesting. However, high transparency and ultraviolet (UV)-blocking ability are mutually exclusive in wood-based materials due to the presence of lignin. Herein, a Turing pattern-inspired highly transparent wood (TP-TW) is fabricated via infiltrating the thermal management materials doped-epoxy (TMM-epoxy) into the delignified wood with a Turing pattern. Afterward, the Turing pattern possesses outstanding optical properties (high visible transmittance of approximate to 76% and low UV transmittance of approximate to 15%). Moreover, TP-TW can reduce adverse effects caused by indoor temperature fluctuation and outdoor sunlight, demonstrating high latent heat (25.30 J g(-1)) and low near-infrared transmittance. Compared with glass, TP-TW exhibits a low thermal conductivity of 0.21 W m(-1) K-1 and excellent shock-resistant characteristics. Taken together, these results indicate that TP-TW is an attractive material for smart glass applications.

Automated summary

Transparent wood for smart glass is a material that can reduce indoor energy consumption while providing comfortable indoor temperature and effective light harvesting. In this study, a highly transparent wood with outstanding optical and thermal properties was fabricated by infiltrating thermal management materials into delignified wood. This transparent wood shows potential for smart glass applications.