Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Transparent wood (TW) composite is a structural optical material for light‑transmitting applications. TW with low haze (scattering) remains challenging due to multiple light‑scattering mechanisms at different length scales. Interfacial debonding, limited polymer accessibility in the cell wall, and refractive index (RI) mismatch between wood and polymer phases contribute to forward scattering and haze. Here we establish an optical design strategy to reduce haze/scattering in TW composites by suppressing scattering sources. Chemical modification through NaOH swelling and acetylation is employed to reduce optical defects, while the polymer phase is tailored by tuning the RI. A series of TW composites enables decoupling of different scattering mechanisms and analysis of their contributions through transmittance, haze, angular light‑distribution, and ultra-fast time resolved measurements. RI tuning combined with chemical reduction of interfacial optical defects leads to a strong decrease in haze (down to ~ 45% for a 1mm thick sample). A more isotropic transmitted light distribution confirms suppression of refraction-based scattering. The study provides a mechanism-based framework for designing low-haze TW and other cellulose-based optical composites.
Source: ChemRxiv
Institutions: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Linköping University
Language: English
Subfield: Biomaterials
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7222408898