Scientists make see-through wood

Mrs. N (United States of America)
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. biodegradable
    capable of being decomposed
    It is better at insulating against the cold and it is biodegradable.
  2. researcher
    a scientist devoted to systematic investigation
    The innovation has come from researchers at the University of Maryland in the USA.
  3. optical
    relating to or using sight
    Researcher Liangbing Hu said: "We were very surprised by how transparent it could go. This can really open applications that can potentially replace glass and some optical materials."
  4. transparent
    able to be seen through with clarity
    They have devised a way to make it transparent.
  5. assortment
    the act of distributing things into classes of the same type
    See-through wood could one day replace glass and be used in windows and tables, for iPhone screens, and in a whole assortment of other building materials.
  6. insulate
    surround with material to protect from heat, cold, or noise
    It is better at insulating against the cold and it is biodegradable.
  7. molecule
    the simplest structural unit of an element or compound
    A molecule called lignin, which gives wood its colour, disappeared during the boiling process.
  8. potentially
    with a possibility of becoming actual
    Researcher Liangbing Hu said: "We were very surprised by how transparent it could go. This can really open applications that can potentially replace glass and some optical materials."
  9. infancy
    the early stage of growth or development
    Research is still in its infancy and the process can currently only be done on 10cm by 10cm blocks of wood that range in thickness between paper-thin and a centimeter thick.
  10. chemical
    produced by reactions involving atomic or molecular changes
    They experimented with different ways to extract the chemicals from wood that give it colour.
  11. effectively
    in a manner producing an intended result
    This left behind colourless cells, which effectively made the wood transparent.
  12. innovation
    the act of starting something for the first time
    The innovation has come from researchers at the University of Maryland in the USA.
  13. devise
    arrange by systematic planning and united effort
    They have devised a way to make it transparent.
  14. boil
    change from a liquid to vapor
    They boiled it in water, sodium hydroxide and other chemicals for about two hours.
  15. extract
    remove, usually with some force or effort
    They experimented with different ways to extract the chemicals from wood that give it colour.
  16. scale
    the ratio between the size of a thing and its representation
    The researchers will now focus on applying the process on a much larger scale.
Created on Thu Nov 04 13:50:33 EDT 2021 (updated Fri Nov 26 13:26:08 EST 2021)

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