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An effective induction heating material composed of wood and magnetic Fe3O4 particles is prepared via a simple hydrothermal method. Fe3O4 particles deposit on the porous wood substrate provides excellent magnetic properties and high magnetothermal conversion resulting in rapid increase in the temperature at the wood substrate. Benefiting from the effective magnetocaloric effect of magnetic particles, the temperature of magnetic wood exhibits a noticeable rise (from 25.9 to 70.1 °C in 10 min) at low-frequency magnetic field. For simulating the real environment, the indoor temperature rise of magnetic wooden model also reveals the excellent heating performance of magnetic wood. Besides, the magnetic wood also serves as a thermal insulator to slow down the transport of thermal energy from the high temperature area to its surroundings due to its low thermal conductivity, which benefit the rational use of thermal energy in daily life. In view of highly scalable, simple operation, good durability, excellent magnetic properties, effective magnetocaloric effect, and thermal insulation, the novel magnetic wood composite demonstrated here is an attractive induction heating material for application in building, decoration, and massage furniture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bamboo has higher strength, better toughness, and a shorter growth cycle than wood. It is of great significance to use top-down nanotechnology to construct high-performance bamboo film (BF) instead of petroleum-based plastic film. However, bamboo lacks lateral cell tissues, and its structure is prone to disintegration when the components are removed. Herein, slice bamboo veneers (SBV) were used as building blocks, and a sequential process of alkali pretreatment-crosslinking-delignification-compression densification was conducted to fabricate the high-performance BF. The oriented arrangement of nanofibers, highly dense microstructure, and a large number of hydrogen bonds between cellulose microfibrils endowed BF with anisotropic and excellent mechanical and optical properties. The longitudinal tensile strength and toughness of the prepared BF were 656.6 MPa and 33.7 MJ m−3, respectively, and its light transmittance and haze were 70.2% and 88.1%, respectively. In addition, BF has good thermal insulation with a thermal conductivity of 0.0857 W m−1 K−1. The combined characteristics of BF, including high strength, high toughness, flexibility, anisotropy, high optical transmittance, and thermal insulation, make them suitable to be applied as optoelectronic substrates, insulating building materials, and green packaging materials. [Display omitted] • The high-performance bamboo film (BF) was fabricated by a top-down nanotechnology. • The tensile strength and toughness of BF were 656.6 MPa and 33.7 MJ m−3. • The optical transmittance and haze of BF were about 70.2% and 88.1%. • The BF showed thermal insulation and indoor temperature regulation ability. • The transparent BF can be used as a substrate for optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of the frequent occurrence of many global climate anomalies in recent years, the concept of green and sustainable development has driven a growing interest among researchers in the development and utilization of renewable biomass resources. Transparent wood (TW) has become a hot research topic due to its transparency, sustainability, and multi-functionality. However, the long growth period of wood and the shortage of wood resources have hindered the large-scale application of TW. Although bamboo has also been shown to have the capability to prepare transparent materials, the preparation of transparent bamboo (TB) with advanced functionality and large dimensions has always been a challenge. In this study, a straightforward but efficient method for preparing photochromic transparent bamboo (PTB) with enlarged dimensions (100 mm × 100 mm × 0.9 mm) is introduced. The method involves pre-crosslinking the delignification of sliced bamboo veneer (SBV) and impregnating delignified bamboo (DB) substrates with epoxy resin mixed with photochromic pigments (PC). The PTB composites that emerged displayed impressive characteristics such as excellent optical performance, rapid photochromic response, thermal insulation behavior, and robustness. The PTB's excellent overall performance is promising to be applied in some high-end fields, such as smart windows, information storage, smart decorative materials, etc. [Display omitted] • Photochromic transparent bamboo (PTB) has been fabricated. • Sliced bamboo veneer provides the possibility for the preparation of large-size PTB. • PTB exhibits excellent optical, thermal, and rapid photochromic performance. • PTB has the potential to be used as a smart window. • PTB offers new ideas for the high-value utilization of bamboo products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]