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VIDEO: By adding a bit of acid to the acetone, it dissolves the calcium carbonate particles in the aerogel and releases CO2 generating the bubbles that make the material more porous. The. view more
Credit: Jowan Rostami
A new low-cost and sustainable technique would boost the possibilities for hospitals and clinics to deliver therapeutics with aerogels, a foam-like material now found in such high-tech applications as insulation for spacesuits and breathable plasters.
With the help of an ordinary kitchen freezer, this newest form of aerogel was made from all natural ingredients, including plant cellulose and algae, says Jowan Rostami, a researcher in fibre technology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
Citrus derivative makes transparent wood 100 percent renewable
Five years after introducing see-through wood building material, researchers in Sweden have taken it to another level. They found a way to make their composite 100 percent renewable – and more translucent – by infusing wood with a clear bio-plastic made from citrus fruit.
Since it was first introduced in 2016, transparent wood has been developed by researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology as one of the most innovative new structural materials for building construction. It lets natural light through and can even store thermal energy.
The latest version of transparent wood developed at KTH is more translucent, and is made with renewable polymer. (Photo: Céline Montanari)
(Photo : Wikimedia Commons)
Researchers at KTH s Wallenberg Wood Science Centre used fossil-based polymers in earlier models of the composite. The researchers have now successfully tested an environmentally safe alternative: limonene acrylate, a limonene-derived monomer. They published their findings in the journal Advanced Science. The current limonene acrylate is made from organic citruses, such as peel waste from the orange juice industry, says Céline Montanari, lead author and Ph.D. student.
The polymer that restores the strength of delignified wood while allowing light to pass through is made from an extract from orange juice processing.
According to the researchers, the modern composite has a 90 percent optical transmittance at 1.2 mm thickness and a 30 percent haze. Unlike other translucent wood composites produced in the last five years, the material manufactured at KTH is intended for structural use. With a power of 174 MPa (25.2 ksi) and an elasticity of 17 GPa, it
Since it was first introduced in 2016, transparent wood has been developed by researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology as an innovative structural
Stripping out polymers that block light from passing through wood and replacing them with a derivative from citrus peels Swedish scientists created a transparent composite that could replace glass.