Transparent plywood as a load-bearing and luminescent biocomposite

Abstract Transparent wood (TW) structures in research studies were either thin and highly anisotropic or thick and isotropic but weak. Here, transparent plywood (TPW) laminates are investigated as load-bearing biocomposites with tunable mechanical and optical performances. Structure-property relationships are analyzed. The plies of TPW were laminated with controlled fiber directions and predetermined stacking sequence in order to control the directional dependence of modulus and strength, which would give improved properties in the weakest direction. Also, the angular dependent light scattering intensities were investigated and showed more uniform distribution. Luminescent TPW was prepared by incorporation of quantum dots (QDs) for potential lighting applications. TPW can be designed for large-scale use where multiaxial load-bearing performance is combined with new optical functionalities.