Open AccessHigh Performance, Fully Bio‐Based, and Optically Transparent Wood Biocomposites
Author(s) -
Montanari Céline,
Ogawa Yu,
Olsén Peter,
Berglund Lars A.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.388
H-Index - 100
ISSN - 2198-3844
DOI - 10.1002/advs.202100559
Subject(s) - biocomposite , acrylate , materials science , monomer , transmittance , papermaking , substrate (aquarium) , nanocellulose , polymer , polymerization , chemical engineering , composite material , cellulose , composite number , optoelectronics , oceanography , engineering , geology
The sustainable development of engineering biocomposites has been limited due to a lack of bio‐based monomers combining favorable processing with high performance. Here, the authors report a novel and fully bio‐based transparent wood biocomposite based on green synthesis of a new limonene acrylate monomer from renewable resources. The monomer is impregnated and readily polymerized in a delignified, succinylated wood substrate to form optically transparent biocomposites. The chemical structure of the limonene acrylate enables diffusion into the cell wall, and the polymer phase is both refractive index‐matched and covalently linked to the wood substrate. This results in nanostructured biocomposites combining an excellent optical transmittance of 90% at 1.2 mm thickness and a remarkably low haze of 30%, with a high mechanical performance (strength 174 MPa, Young's modulus 17 GPa). Bio‐based transparent wood holds great potential towards the development of sustainable wood nanotechnologies for structural applications, where transparency and mechanical performance are combined.