Luminescent wood to light up homes in future

Researchers have developed a bio-based, luminescent, water-resistant wood film that could one day be used to light up the lamps, displays and laser devices at home.

Qiliang Fu, Ingo Burgert, and colleagues treated balsa wood with a solution to remove lignin and about half of the hemicelluloses, leaving behind a porous scaffold. The team then infused the delignified wood with a solution containing quantum dots — semiconductor nanoparticles that glow in a particular color when struck by ultraviolet (UV) light. After compressing and drying, the researchers applied a hydrophobic coating. Under UV light, the quantum dots in the wood emitted and scattered an orange light that spread evenly throughout the film’s surface.

According to the researchers, quantum dots of different varieties could be used to create lights of different colors. They imagine the film finding use as decorative covers for lamps or displays, offering a bio-based, eco-friendly alternative to plastics and other materials.