Editable shape-memory transparent wood based on epoxy-based dynamic covalent polymer with excellent optical and thermal management for smart building materials

Transparent wood (TW) with excellent optical and thermal management performance has been recently developed as a promising energy-efficient building material. Here, editable shape-memory TW (ESMTW) is developed through in situ polymerization of epoxy-based dynamic covalent polymers (EDCP) into a delignified wood scaffold. ESMTW possesses stiffness at low temperature and flexibility at high temperatures, while it exhibits excellent solid-state plasticity and shape-manipulation capability under thermal stimuli. Meanwhile, ESMTW shows unique light guiding and directional scattering effects, and the transmitted light intensity distribution is tunable owing to the shape-management capability. Additionally, the resultant TW possesses great thermal insulation properties. The combination of characteristics enables TW to exhibit great promise as an advanced functional and intelligent building material toward a sustainable society, especially for three-dimensional applications ( e.g. , curved or irregularly shaped glass, windows, ceilings, rooftops.). It may also provide new ideas for fabricating transparent and shape-editable optical/electronic devices. Graphical abstract