In the Future, Windows May Be Made of Wood

CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND AND ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS

It seems too weird to be true, but wood can be bleached and then soaked in epoxy to create a material not quite asĀ transparent asĀ glass, but which lets in plenty of non-glare light and insulates far better against heat. Scientists at the University of Maryland have patented the technology and are studying its applications in building for the future. One interesting feature of the wooden window is that it directs the diffused sunlight in the same direction regardless of the angle at which it enters the panel, which, as the lead author Tian Li says, “means your cat would not have to get up out of its nice patch of sunlight every few minutes and move over. The sunlight would stay in the same place. Also, the room would be more equally lighted at all times.” Sounds great!

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