Luminescent Wood Could Light Up Future Homes

Cynthia McKanzie – MessageToEagle.com –  The right indoor lighting can help set the mood, from a soft romantic glow to bright, stimulating colors. But some materials used for lighting, such as plastics, are not eco-friendly.

Scientists have now developed a bio-based, luminescent, water-resistant wood film that could someday be used as cover panels for lamps, displays and laser devices. Basically, we can expect luminescent wood to light up our homes in the future.

Image source

Consumer demand for eco-friendly, renewable materials has driven researchers to investigate wood-based thin films for optical applications. However, many materials developed so far have drawbacks, such as poor mechanical properties, uneven lighting, a lack of water resistance or the need for a petroleum-based polymer matrix.

Researchers wanted to develop a luminescent wood film that could overcome these limitations, and it appears they have been successful.

When exposed to UV light on the outside, a luminescent wood panel (right) lights up an indoor space (as seen through “windows;” red arrows), whereas a non-luminescent panel (left) does not. Credit: Adapted from ACS Nano 2020, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c06110

The researchers treated balsa wood with a solution to remove lignin and about half of the hemicelluloses, leaving behind a porous scaffold. The team then infused the delignified wood with a solution containing quantum dots—semiconductor nanoparticles that glow in a particular color when struck by ultraviolet (UV) light. After compressing and drying, the researchers applied a hydrophobic coating. The result was a dense, water-resistant wood film with excellent mechanical properties. Under UV light, the quantum dots in the wood emitted and scattered an orange light that spread evenly throughout the film’s surface.

See also: More About Technology

The team demonstrated the ability of a luminescent panel to light up the interior of a toy house. Different types of quantum dots could be incorporated into the wood film to create various colors of lighting products, the researchers say.

Paper

Written by Cynthia McKanzie – MessageToEagle.com Staff Writer