Fabrication of Self Cleaning Transparent Wood

• Shane West, Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware

• Chelsea Davis, Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware

The production of glass is energy-intensive, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. Transparent wood is a novel concept that has been proposed as a replacement for traditional building materials in many different applications due to the toughness and structural properties that it could impart. One of the most prominent proposed uses is in the construction industry as a natural alternative to glass. Unfortunately, modern iterations of transparent wood foul more easily than glass due to the natural, hydrophilic cellulose in wood that attract dirt and grease. For this reason, “self-cleaning” transparent wood would be a significant advancement towards adoption of this novel material for construction applications. In our work, we apply an ultrathin, nanocomposite coating to transparent wood surfaces to induce superhydrophobicity. Subsequent dynamic contact angle measurements via a custom-built goniometer and contact adhesion testing measurements are ongoing. Future work will include light scattering measurements to quantify the haze or transparency effects of the nanocomposite coating. These experiments will serve as proof-of-concept tests to determine if self-cleaning transparent wood is a viable solution for glass replacements in the construction industry.