PAPER making! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL ® FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER T Volume 9, Number 2, 2023
Engineered transparent wood composites: a review THABISILE BRIGHTWELL JELE, 1,2 JEROME ANDREW, 2 MAYA JOHN 3,4 & BRUCE SITHOLE 1,2 Wood is a versatile resource due to its inherent properties such as low density, good weight to strength ratio, unique hierarchical structure, microscale pores, and ease of processing, including its biodegradability and renewability. In the building and construction industry, engineered transparent wood (ETW) may serve as a sustainable replacement for glass which is environmentally unfriendly in its manufacture and application. Natural wood is non transparent due to its low optical transmittance, therefore, lignin and chromophores are modified or eliminated, and a polymer is infiltrated in order to achieve transparency. Engineered transparent wood (ETW) exhibits excellent optical properties (transmittance > 80%), high haze (haze > 70%), thermal insulation (thermal conductivity less than 0.23Wm−1 K−1), unique hierarchical structure, good loadbearing performance with tough failure behaviour (no shattering) and ductility. These properties extend wood applications to optical components such as solar cells, screens, windows, magnetic materials, and luminescent and decorative materials. This review details the production of ETW and how the wood density, wood thickness, wood type, wood direction, cellulose volume fraction, extent and type of delignification, polymer type, functionalisation of ETW affect the morphological, functional, optical, thermal, photodegradation and mechanical properties of ETW. Contact information: 1 Discipline of Chemical Engineering, College of Agriculture, Engineering and Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal (Howard Campus), Durban, South Africa 2 Biorefinery Industry Development Facility (BIDF), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Durban, South Africa 3 Centre for Nano Ǧ Structured Materials (CeNAM), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pretoria, South Africa 4 Department of Chemistry, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Case Studies in Cellulose (2023) 30:5447 – 5471 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-023-05239-z Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
The Paper Industry Technical Association (PITA) is an independent organisation which operates for the general benefit of its members – both individual and corporate – dedicated to promoting and improving the technical and scientific knowledge of those working in the UK pulp and paper industry. Formed in 1960, it serves the Industry, both manufacturers and suppliers, by providing a forum for members to meet and network; it organises visits, conferences and training seminars that cover all aspects of papermaking science. It also publishes the prestigious journal Paper Technology International ® and the PITA Annual Review , both sent free to members, and a range of other technical publications which include conference proceedings and the acclaimed Essential Guide to Aqueous Coating .
Article 7 – Wood Panel
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