High performance, shape manipulatable transparent wood based on delignified wood framework and exchangeable dynamic covalent vitrimers

Abstract

Transparent wood (TW) combining unique anisotropic structures with advantageous properties has many promising applications in advanced building fields. However, achieving shape manipulatable TW with high-performance remains a great challenge. Interestingly, vitrimers with dynamic covalent adaptable bonds presents a fascinating blueprint for prompting the advancement of multifunctional TW. Herein, a high-performance shape manipulatable TW with exchangeable dynamic thiocarbamate bonds (TCBs) was fabricated by the delignification and subsequent impregnation of stimuli-responsive vitrimers through solvent-free thiol-isocyanate click reaction by a low temperature solidification. The as-prepared TW exhibited impressive properties, for example, remarkable optical transparency (transverse transmittance of ≈90 % and haze of ≈90 %), attractive light management ability, low thermal conductivity (≈0.30 W·m−1·K−1), excellent mechanical properties (longitudinal tensile strength of 37.24 MPa and flexural strength of 48.88 MPa), and fascinating shape manipulation, which make our TW has promising potential applications as energy efficient and intelligent building materials. In addition, this feasible strategy provides a new avenue to design and combine multi-functional TW with high-performance to expand its applications in building construction.