# @stem_antics on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DYufMiwgusc
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/66053073-stem-antics-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/afac9c3682.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-05-24T15:27:02.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Stem Antics (@stem_antics) — https://gondola.cc/stem_antics

## Caption

Light passes through concrete. That is not a typo.

Translucent concrete, also called LiTraCon, is manufactured by embedding thousands of optical fibers into a cementitious matrix. Each fiber runs parallel from one face of the panel to the other, creating a grid of light-transmitting channels through solid concrete.

Here is how it works:

	•	Thin layers of concrete are poured in sequence, with strands of polymer optical fiber (POF) laid between each layer
	•	The fibers make up roughly 4-5% of the panel by volume, which means 95% of the board is still structural concrete
	•	When light hits one side of the panel, it enters each fiber and undergoes total internal reflection, bouncing along the core until it exits the opposite face
	•	The result is a concrete surface that displays shadows, silhouettes, and color shifts from the light source behind it

The science that makes this possible is Snell’s Law. Each optical fiber has a core with a higher refractive index surrounded by cladding with a lower refractive index. When light strikes the core-cladding boundary at an angle greater than the critical angle, it reflects entirely back into the core instead of escaping. That principle repeats thousands of times per second across thousands of fibers, moving photons through a material that would otherwise block them completely.

What makes this relevant for construction is that the panels retain their compressive strength. The fibers do not create structural weak points because they are bonded within the cement paste during curing. These boards can function as load-bearing facade elements while simultaneously acting as ambient lighting features after dark.

Material science turning walls into light fixtures is the kind of engineering that does not get enough attention.

#stemantics #translucent #concrete #materialscience #opticalfibers

## Stats

- **Views:** 7,977
- **Likes:** 244
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 2

## Tags

opticalfibers, translucent, concrete, materialscience, stemantics

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