Transparent Wood Materials: Properties, Applications, and Fire Behaviour [Paperback]

This book introduces the reader to the history, materials properties, and manufacturing methods of transparent wood biocomposites. After an introductory chapter summarizing the major developments in the field, the book looks at a number of recent and groundbreaking applications, particularly in the fields of solar cells, smart buildings, and transparent wood smart windows. Finally, the authors own work on the combustion and fire-technical properties of transparent wood is discussed in detail. This monograph appeals to readers involved in transparent wood research, manufacturing, and application. It is also undoubtedly of interest to a broader readership of practitioners and university students involved in materials science for fire prevention.1. Introduction to transparent wood.- 2. Mechanical, optical, chemical, physical properties of transparent wood.- 3. Transparent bamboo.- 4. Solar cells.- 5. Smart buildings.- 6. Smart windows.- 7. Multi-layered and densified transparent wood.- 8. Thin and flexible transparent wood fibres.- 9. Fully bio-based transparent wood.- 10. Fire characteristics of transparent wood.         Ing. Igor Wachter, PhD. defended his dissertation in 2018 at Slovak University of Technology. Since that year he works as a researcher at Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Faculty of Materials Science and Technology in Trnava. He also conducted research abroad, namely at the University of Queensland. Among the main areas of research, he deals with are Fire Engineering, Thermal Analysis and Wood Modification. He is an author of dozens of scientific articles, has attended several international conferences and has been a member of several research teams dealing with various scientific projects (APVV, VEGA, KEGA, H2020).