Light Propagation in Transparent Wood: Efficient Ray‐Tracing Simulation and Retrieving an Effective Refractive Index of Wood Scaffold

Transparent wood (TW), a biocomposite material demonstrating optical transparency in the visible range, has attracted much interest recent years due to great potential for ecofriendly applications, instance, construction industry and functionalized organic materials. Optical properties of TW, including haze, depend on particular structure cellulose‐based backbone compound, (mis‐)matching refractive indices (RIs) between TW compounds, polymer matrix. Although there are data cellulose RIs various forms (fibers, powder, hot‐pressed films, etc.), these values might differ from an effective RI substrate. Herein, numerical model light propagation based real cellular wood, is presented applied estimate delignified reinforcement experimentally investigated material. Ray‐tracing rigorous electromagnetic approaches compared modeling TW. Ray tracing demonstrates considerably simplified yet accurate efficient solutions. The work brings substantial progress toward realistic practical purpose materials design, fundamental studies.