3 ms·

This video is based on a different paper from 4 years earlier and it uses a different technique. If you read the new paper, one of the main properties of the n

by brabel 6y ago

This video is based on a different paper from 4 years earlier and it uses a different technique. If you read the new paper, one of the main properties of the new technique is that it does not affect the wood lignin, so that the final transparent wood has the same properties, almost, as the original wood. In this video you linked to, the techique involves completely removing the wood lignin (see 4:08). Clearly not the same thing. Another huge difference: in this video, the wood is dropped into a boiling chemical solution for 12 hours. In the new paper, the solution is brushed onto the wood at room temperature, then the wood is left exposed to UV light (which can come from natural Sun light) for just one hour. The video uses boiling, distilled water to wash the wood (for only around 15 minutes), then hydrogen peroxide (in an awkard attempt at removing the lignin left) after the chemmical treatment of the wood, while this paper just mentions using ethanol (5 hours immersion) to remove just the chemical solution from the previous step. The video mentions that after all this, the paper it's based on says they still need to boil the wood into a 8% peroxide solution (the video author decides to use much less, though, at 3% due to "foaming" problems) until the wood turned white, after which they use ethanol to remove the chemicals. In the new paper, this step doesn't exist at all. The UV light is enough to achieve that and the wood had already been washed with ethanol. Only the last step, using vacuum to infiltrate epoxy into the wood, seems to be similar between the two different papers (though the author of the video did not have a very good techique to do that... both papers are quite lean on details, so the author of the video can't be blamed here). I mention all this because you and other people in this thread are choosing to dismiss this new paper based on a video about a completely different paper, using a totally different methodology, which shows that you're either trying to intentionally present misinformation to HN readers, or that you didn't bother to read the new paper at all and just assumed nothing new in it. Please avoid such behaviour in public forums, the last thing we need is more disinformation and lack of depth in our dicussions.

ianai 6y ago
Best comment I've read all week. Thank you! I think nay saying needs to be seriously curtailed. It's far too effective for way too little actual content. This is a great example of a trend that's infecting and harming HN discussions. We need more people to read up on a topic and have an earnest conversation around it. Gut reactions or memories from years gone by of old techniques aren't constructive and are actively destructive.
kortex 6y ago
This process is absolutely scalable. Chemical process scaling is all about thinking outside the box for ways to achieve rearranging atoms. Nay-Sayers should see the way we used to make formic acid (literally distilling formicae, ants) vs now (massive petrochemical plants). Bleaching can be done with gas phase or supercritical peroxide in giant autoclaves like those used to make treated lumber. You scale up the end result, not each individual step.
jitendrac 6y ago
+1 for it. some notable addition, H2O2 itself is a great bleaching agent but exposing it to UV creates the Ozone gas which is also used as bleaching agent for wood pulp in industries. so, the process accelerates in its own. this process could be further accelerated if H2O2 soaked/brushed wood is placed in transparent airtight container(glass aquarium with sealed lid) for sunlight UV exposure,this process increases the concentration ozone and can ultimately give better result. Other notable thing is the thickness is 1mm only which reduces the required penetration depth of epoxy to only 0.5mm if applied from both side separately. In the video they used 3mm which is three times more thick. The 1mm thickness itself also a limitation for wide array of applications, further research to increase effectively increase the required thickness of wood will make it viable for bigger market. btw,I really liked the newer process which uses the already well-known chemistry and give better results.

by brabel 6y ago

ianai 6y ago

Best comment I've read all week. Thank you! I think nay saying needs to be seriously curtailed. It's far too effective for way too little actual content. This is a great example of a trend that's infecting and harming HN discussions. We need more people to read up on a topic and have an earnest conversation around it. Gut reactions or memories from years gone by of old techniques aren't constructive and are actively destructive.

kortex 6y ago

This process is absolutely scalable. Chemical process scaling is all about thinking outside the box for ways to achieve rearranging atoms. Nay-Sayers should see the way we used to make formic acid (literally distilling formicae, ants) vs now (massive petrochemical plants). Bleaching can be done with gas phase or supercritical peroxide in giant autoclaves like those used to make treated lumber. You scale up the end result, not each individual step.

jitendrac 6y ago

+1 for it. some notable addition, H2O2 itself is a great bleaching agent but exposing it to UV creates the Ozone gas which is also used as bleaching agent for wood pulp in industries. so, the process accelerates in its own. this process could be further accelerated if H2O2 soaked/brushed wood is placed in transparent airtight container(glass aquarium with sealed lid) for sunlight UV exposure,this process increases the concentration ozone and can ultimately give better result. Other notable thing is the thickness is 1mm only which reduces the required penetration depth of epoxy to only 0.5mm if applied from both side separately. In the video they used 3mm which is three times more thick. The 1mm thickness itself also a limitation for wide array of applications, further research to increase effectively increase the required thickness of wood will make it viable for bigger market. btw,I really liked the newer process which uses the already well-known chemistry and give better results.