--- title: "Scientists Create Clear, Glasslike Material Out of Wood" description: "A team of researchers have developed \"transparent wood,\" a glass-like material that is more cost efficient, stronger, and safer than glass." date: "2020-10-02" modified: "2020-10-02" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-create-clear-transparent-wood-glass" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "building materials" - "the digest" - "transparent wood" - "wood" --- # Scientists Create Clear, Glasslike Material Out of Wood ![A team of researchers have developed "transparent wood," a glass-like material that is more cost efficient, stronger, and safer than glass.]() *\Image: USDA Forest Service\* ## Transparent Wood Heating and cooling a home is costly, and inefficient building materials often make a house's carbon footprint even worse. But thanks to a new generation of futuristic building materials, those materials could be poised for a significant upgrade. A team of researchers at the USDA and several research institutions say they've developed "transparent wood," a glass-like material made almost entirely out of trees that they claim is stronger, safer, more cost efficient and more thermally efficient than glass. ## Kicking Glass It's a lucrative concept that has [drawn the attention]() of multiple research teams [across the globe](), all working on similar concepts. The problem with conventional glass is that especially in a single pane configuration, it's a terrible insulator. Producing it can also come with a heavy carbon footprint, emitting about 25,000 metric tons per year, according to a [recent statement]() by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). In [their paper]() published in the *Journal of Advanced Functional Materials*, the researchers claim their transparent wood result in windows five times more thermally efficient than glass. ## Going Green Creating the novel material is also a far greener process. For one, it's made from the sustainable, fast-growing balsa tree. The wood is oxidized in a special bleach bath and then penetrated with a synthetic polymer. The resulting material is not only virtually transparent, it acts more like plastic — it can withstand impacts much better than glass and tends to bend and splinter like wood instead of shattering into pieces. Color the USDA impressed. "With all of these potential benefits for consumers, manufacturing and the environment, the case for transparent wood couldn’t be… clearer," reads the statement. **READ MORE:** [Transparent Wood Could Be the Window of the Future]() \[USDA\] **More on transparent wood:** *[This “Transparent Wood” Could Cut the Cost of Heating Your Home]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()