Preparation and characterization of unsaturated polyester infused transparent wood composites

Wood is a unique biological resource that can be utilized for a variety of purposes of industrial significance. The recent concept of transparent wood (TW) has gained much relevance as it unveils an unprecedented dimension of wood utilization. The natural wood, with its typical micro-structural network, when subjected to delignification and polymer infiltration, is transformed into a bio-composite with adaptable features. To add on to the existing advancements in TW research, the present study demonstrates an economically feasible strategy to fabricate TW bio-composite based on the impregnation of an unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) into the 1.5 mm-thick delignified rubberwood veneer. The properties of unsaturated polyester resin based transparent wood (UPR-TW) were compared with the TW made using epoxy resin. The UPR-TW possesses almost similar characteristics to that of epoxy-TW for optical transmittance, haze, and mechanical properties. The UPR-TW showcased enhanced UV resistance with less colour change as compared to the Epoxy-TW after 500 h of accelerated weathering. The incorporation of cost-effective raw materials has practical utility in industrial-scale production and applications.