Fabrication and Spectral Properties of Wood-Based Luminescent Nanocomposites

Abstract

Pressure impregnation pretreatment is a conventional method to fabricate wood-based nanocomposites. In this paper, the wood-based luminescent nanocomposites were fabricated with the method and its spectral properties were investigated. The results show that it is feasible to fabricate wood-based luminescent nanocomposites using microwave modified wood and nanophosphor powders. The luminescent strength is in positive correlation with the amount of phosphor powders dispersed in urea-formaldehyde resin. Phosphors absorb UV and blue light efficiently in the range of 400–470 nm and show a broad band of bluish-green emission centered at 500 nm, which makes them good candidates for potential blue-green luminescent materials.

Shine-through luminescent wood membranes

“…6,[8][9][10][11][12] Luminescent wood has recently caught considerable attention as an attractive substitute for more conventional materials for indoor and outdoor lighting applications, such as brittle glass and non-biodegradable plastics, thanks to woods sustainability and promising anisotropic optical properties. 7,[13][14][15][16][17] However, state-of-art wood-based lighting appliances require lengthy procedures for their preparation, including delignification and impregnation with often non-biodegradable polymers to improve the matrix transparency, and the use of potentially toxic fluorophores. These approaches compromise the intrinsic sustainability of wood 7,13 as well as native woods' valuable aesthetic appearance, a detail of not negligible importance since it has been demonstrated that the use of natural wood in buildings can have positive effects on the wellbeing of inhabitants.…”