Transparent wood (TW) is a sustainable composite material with high optical transmittance and excellent mechanical properties. Nanoparticles, dyes and quantum dots can be added in a controlled manner for new functionalities relying on the light scattering properties of the composite. The scattering…

Electrospinning is a technology largely employed to obtain polymer fibers with different functionalities. The electrospinning of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in the presence of silica nanoparticles, and the subsequent thermal treatment of these electrospun PVP-silica fibers, allows for the…

Finite element model updating (FEMU) is an advanced inverse parameter identification method capable of identifying multiple parameters in a material model through one or a few well-designed material tests. The method has become more mature thanks to the widespread use of full-field measurement…

Efficient design, production, and optimization of new safe and sustainable by design materials for various industrial sectors is an on-going challenge for our society, poised to escalate in the future. Wood-based composite materials offer an attractive sustainable alternative to high impact…

The current challenge toward the development of more sustainable processes and the design of low environmental impact and efficient materials is having a significant impact on the academic and industrial communities. In this context, the design, implementation, and application of novel polymer-based…

Modeling of Transparent Wood - Introduction on modeling pristine selected woods at the micro-, macro-, and meso-scales

Welcome on board! This is the first newsletter of AI-TranspWood project, specifically devoted to a periodical update of the project outcomes, aiming to disseminate them to a wider public. Each newsletter develops a particular topic that will be developed and implemented in the upcoming three-years, providing the readers with fresh and smart information and using a multidisciplinary approach.

Transparent Wood (TW) represents a fascinating development in materials science, transforming the ancient, ubiquitous natural composite that is wood into a material possessing optical clarity while retaining many of its inherent advantageous properties. Historically utilized extensively across numerous sectors from construction to art and furniture, wood is renewable and recyclable, aligning perfectly with contemporary circular economy principles. However, its natural opacity, primarily due to the presence of lignin and light scattering within its complex cellular structure, limits its application where transparency is required. The concept of transparent wood was initially explored by Fink in 1992, but it was rediscovered and rigorously investigated by independent research groups starting about a decade ago.