Does MOSO® Bamboo X-treme® Have Heat Problems like Plastics?
No: TLDR: Surfaces will get hot in direct sunlight. Thermally Modified Bamboo does not have insulation properties like plastic and thus doesn't store heat. After direct sunlight is removed, i.e. clouds, or shading, the heat dissipates rapidly. The aging process of the product further increases reflectivity making it less prone to absorb and keep heat. The X-treme® Product contributes to LEAD SS Credit 7 – Heat Island Reduction (MOSO Bamboo X-treme).
First, let's understand the Idea of "heat problems" and plastic.
Heat Source: Radiation
Solar energy as heat & light radiates deck surfaces. Decks and siding receive daylight the entire time of sunlight. This is a continuous variable input.
Conduction
Plastics are poor heat conductors because they have virtually no free electrons available for conduction mechanisms like metals. This property makes plastic a good insulator. The thermal insulating capacity of plastics is rated by measuring thermal conductivity. Solar energy not reflected away from the deck plank is adsorbed because the surround air itself has an even worse heat conduction property than plastic. There is literally nowhere else for the heat to go. Heat trapped on the surface skin will migrate from the surface to the core..
Absorption
The compression of plastics imposes the opposite effect on thermal insulation as it increases the packing density of molecules. Composite plastic decks are high-density shredded plastic. This means solar radiation not reflected away will travel from the surface to the core because of proximity. The kinetic energy of molecules touching molecules. The bleed of heat to the air by convection is too low, and there is simply nowhere else for it to go.
Storage
A day's worth of solar energy that is not reflected is eventually stored in the core. This can only be released by convection during the day and after the sun goes down. Also, if the night cycle is not long enough, the convection will not bring the composite back to the previous day's temperature. This creates the opportunity for a heat sink in the summer months that is often near a domicile.
MOSO® Bamboo X-treme® Heat-Related Properties.
Heat Source: Radiation
As anyone has experienced, all things get hot in the sun. Like all other decks, X-treme® materials that receive daylight the entire sunlight time will get hot to the touch. There is an ASTM study Reference in this report: Link that indicates as the decking ages it reflects more light radiation so the fraction of absorbed energy gets smaller with time. This is the input for heat.
Conduction
Bamboo fibers have a hierarchical structure in which cellulose microfibrils reinforce the intertwined hemicellulose-lignin matrix. Though cellulose is considered a poor heat conductor, it does not insulate efficiently like plastic. Because heat introduced at the surface is not protected from the plank's core, the core will get hot too by conduction.
Absorption
Unlike the plastic's repeating polymers and composite's compounding effect, bamboo helical fibers are more resistant to heat conduction. This is because a mass of cellulose microfibrils will absorb heat energy slower and dissipate heat energy faster across the plank than a mass of similar polymers acting like a thermos -as observed in plastic composite deck planks. As a result, there is less heat absorption with X-treme®.
Storage
A day's worth of solar energy will be smaller and more efficiently removed from X-treme because less energy is stored, and the convection to the atmosphere is more efficient.
Think of it this way, The property that makes X-treme® rigid and dimensionally stable is the same property that resists heat adsorption and storage - its helical fibers at the micro-level.
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