Transparent wood with self-cleaning properties for next-generation smart photovoltaic panels

Transparent wood has broad application potential in new technology fields such as electronics, optics, and energy. The super-hydrophobic and self-cleaning properties of transparent wood are of great significance for exploring lightweight building materials or electronic devices. Herein, we reported a method of preparing super-hydrophobic transparent wood (STW) based on delignified wood template and explored its application in the next generation of smart photovoltaic panels. In this work, the obtained STW had a thickness of 2 mm and a transmittance of 93.7 %, which had a superior transmittance effect at the visible wavelength. Furthermore, the water contact angle (WCA) of it was 163.5°, and the water sliding angle of the surface of STW was 5.2°, which could realize self-cleaning by hydration induction. Meanwhile, it had outstanding pollution resistance, durability, and stability under heat treatment and UV aging test conditions. This uncomplicated and unpolluted method for the preparation of super-hydrophobic transparent wood has a broad application prospect in the fields of electronics and optical devices.