A Clear, Strong, and Thermally Insulated Transparent Wood for Energy Efficient Windows

Abstract The energy used for regulating building temperatures accounts for 14% of the primary energy consumed in the U.S. One‐quarter of this energy is leaked through inefficient glass windows in cold weather. The development of transparent composites could potentially provide affordable window materials with enhanced energy efficiency. Transparent wood as a promising material has presented desirable performances in thermal and light management. In this work, the performance of transparent wood is optimized toward an energy efficient window material that possesses the following attributes: 1) high optical transmittance (≈91%), comparable to that of glass; 2) high clarity with low haze (≈15%); 3) high toughness…