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Benzoxazine resins are new thermosetting resins with excellent thermal stability, mechanical properties, and a flexible molecular design, demonstrating promise for applications in marine antifouling coatings. However, designing a multifunctional green benzoxazine resin-derived antifouling coating that combines resistance to biological protein adhesion, a high antibacterial rate, and low algal adhesion is still challenging. In this study, a high-performance coating with a low environmental impact was synthesized using urushiol-based benzoxazine containing tertiary amines as the precursor, and a sulfobetaine moiety into the benzoxazine group was introduced. This sulfobetaine-functionalized urushiol-based polybenzoxazine coating (poly(U−ea/sb)) was capable of clearly killing marine biofouling bacteria adhered to the coating surface and significantly resisting protein attachment. poly(U−ea/sb) exhibited an antibacterial rate of 99.99% against common Gram negative bacteria (e.g., Escherichia coli and Vibrio alginolyticus) and Gram positive bacteria (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus sp.), with >99% its algal inhibition activity, and it effectively prevented microbial adherence. Here, a dual-function crosslinkable zwitterionic polymer, which used an “offensive-defensive” tactic to improve the antifouling characteristics of the coating was presented. This simple, economic, and feasible strategy provides new ideas for the development of green marine antifouling coating materials with excellent performance.

In this work, phosphorus-containing triazolyl amine (P-ATA) was incorporated into epoxy resin (EP) through the ring-opening reaction of epoxy groups, so as to obtain the intrinsically flame-retarda...

The economic loss and environmental damage caused by metal corrosion is irreversible. Thus, effective methods, such as coating technologies are used to protect metal surfaces from corrosion. In this work, cardanol-based benzoxazine (CB) was synthesized by a solvent-free method using cardanol, paraformaldehyde and

In the tetrabutyl titanate solution via a sol-gel method, the nano-TiO2@polyfluorene composite particles were successfully prepared from the polyfluorene particles which were obtained by grinding fluorene with FeCl3 through the solid-state oxidative coupling reaction. The morphology and optical properties of the composite particles were characterized by scanning electronmicroscope, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photo electron spectrometer, X-ray diffractometer, UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra and so on. The composite particles presented excellent photocatalytic activity on the degradation of triphenylmethane dyes, such as malachite green and rhodamine B under sunlight or under visible light. The photocatalytic reusability was investigated up to six successive cycles and the composite particles still retained their high activity of photodegradation ratio for malachite green. The mechanism of photocatalysis has been were discussed. The high surface area and effective photoinduced electrons and holes of TiO2@polyfluorene led to the enhanced photocatalytic activity. Consequently, the nano-TiO2@polyfluorene composite particles can be employed as an efficient photocatalyst to treat the organic pollutants.

A novel benzoxazine monomer (UPA) had been synthesized by the reaction of urushiol with formaldehyde and propylamine. From the ring-opening reaction of UPA, the corresponding new biobased resin polybenzoxazine (PUPA) was obtained. The PUPA was used to fabricate honeycomb-structured porous films using the breath figures technique. The obtained films were characterized by scanning electronic microscopy. The results showed that PUPA films were highly ordered porous films. Furthermore, the PUPA porous films possess excellent acid, alkali and organic solvent resistance properties.

With the development of economy and society, the wanton chaotic emission of oily wastewater causes serious pollution to environment. We attempt to prepare the superhydrophobic copper meshes modified by hierarchical polymeric microstructures to separate oil/water mixtures. After a solvothermal process and an acylation reaction, the surface of copper meshes can be well coated with a polyimide layer modified by lauroyl groups. The obtained meshes exhibited both superhydrophobic and superoleophilic properties with a water contact angle above 150° due to the increased roughness and the hydrophobic property of long alkyl chains. Moreover, the modified meshes exhibit good durability under strongly acidic and alkaline environment conditions. Thereby, the as-prepared meshes can act as a high performance filter to separate oil/water mixture with a good reusability. It is expected that the superhydrophobic surface can serve as a promising alternative to conventional techniques for oil/water separation.

Corrosion resistant coatings based on eco-friendly and low-volatile organic compounds have received attention in recent years. In this work, the water-dispersible corrosion inhibitors were prepared from lignin, aniline, and 4-fluoroaniline. We achieved different polymer inhibitors with excellent optimum synergistic effects, and the resulting was shown that the excellent dispersion of inhibitors in deionized water were stable for 3 h, compared to polyaniline (PANI) after 10 min of storage. Then, those inhibitors subsequently composited into the natural lacquer to generate anti-corrosion coatings. As revealed by electrochemical measurements, including Tafel polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), the composite coatings were exhibited outstanding chemical properties in different corrosive medium. The resulting showed that the corrosion performance of composite lacquer coatings were remarkably improved compared with pure lacquer coating, especially L/PF-73-10 coating.

Because of their wide applications, the polymer porous films with regular patterned structure have attracted more and more attention. Herein, the porous films created from the poly(p-phenylene)s/CHCl3 solutions have been self-assembled in an alcohol-water mixed vapor atmosphere. The results show that the patterns of the films depend on the polymer concentration and the ratio of alcohols to water. The introduction of a small amount of alcohols can improve the regular pore patterns of the porous films. Using the mixed water/methanol droplets as soft templates, the ordered porous films can be obtained from a high-concentration polymer solution. The low-concentration polymer solution and a high ratio of alcohol to water lead to form large pores in the films. The alcohol-controlled breath figure method is a facile way to design and fabricate ordered porous films based on a conjugated polymer.

Truxene has received extensive attention, because of its potential applications in the optoelectronic fields. We found a phenomenon that truxene showed the red-shift of the maximum emission wavelength from 366 nm to blue-green light region when the truxene solution exposed to air and sunlight. The effects of photo-oxidation on the emissive properties of truxene were discussed in detail. Based on the structural characterization and analysis, the photo-oxidation product of truxene was confirmed as 10,15-dihydro-5H-diindeno[1,2-a:1′,2′-c]fluoren -5-one. Thereby the production of the aromatic monoketone is the main reason for the origin of longwave emission.

The oil pollution is an increasing threat to nature and human health. Therefore, effective separation of oil from the oily wastewater is a challenging task. Through the nonsolvent vapor method, a superhydrophobic paper can be self-assembled by dropping the conjugated poly-p-phenylenes solution on the commercial filter paper in a nonsolvent vapor atmosphere. The numerous nano-mircostructral particles composed of polymer nanowires covered on the filter paper, just like the morphology of lotus leaves, lead to the excellent superhydrophobic effect. Moreover, the polymer-coated filter paper not only exhibits good mechanical stability, long-term durability, self-cleaning, but also has superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity. The as-prepared paper possess remarkable oil/water separation ability for a variety of oil/water mixtures, including bromoethane, hexane, cyclohexane, petroleum ether, gasoline, dodecane, and the mixed oil of gasoline and diesel, demonstrating that it can be a good candidate for the treatment of industrial oil-polluted water.

The TiO2@poly-p-phenylene (PPP) composite microspheres were successfully prepared from the self-assembled PPP microspheres in the tetrabutyl titanate solution via the sol–gel method. The morphology and optical properties of the composite microspheres have been characterized by the SEM, EDX, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectra. The presence of PPP changes the band gap of TiO2, which makes the composite microspheres enhance good photocatalytic activity on the degradation of malachite green (98.2%) under sunlike irradiation. The photo-catalytic reusability was investigated up to five successive cycles and the microspheres still retain their activity about 85.6% of photodegradation ratio. Consequently, the TiO2@PPP composite microspheres can be employed as the efficient photocatalyst to treat the organic pollutants.

Environmentally friendly and renewable hybrid lacquer coatings with excellent aging resistant and anticorrosion properties were studied. The coatings were prepared using raw lacquer coupled with the silane agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane or N-(2-aminoethyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane via an eco-friendly sol–gel preparation process. The physical–mechanical properties, thermal stability, aging resistance, and anticorrosion properties of the as-prepared coatings were analyzed. Additionally, the surface of the coatings before and after an accelerated aging treatment was studied by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results revealed that the hybrid lacquer coating A (with a raw lacquer-to-APTES mass ratio of 1.8:1) resulted in films with a significantly enhanced antiaging effect (e.g., six times higher than that of lacquer at a gloss loss rate of 30%). Besides, this film revealed an exceptional anticorrosion performance (with the lowest corrosion current Icorr = 2.476 × 10–10 A·cm–2) and a high protection efficiency (99.99 and 94.10%), as demonstrated by its electrochemical characteristics. Furthermore, all films exhibited a good barrier because of their dense structure, which prevents the corrosive medium from penetrating the coating during the salt spray test analysis after 1000 h. And the coating A relatively layered was distributing any significant cancaves, integrity better than all coatings studied, indicating that the based electrolyte was easier to penetrate it after salt spraying 2000 h.

In the nonsolvent vapor atmospheres, the petal-effect superhydrophobic surface was self-assembled from conjugated poly(2,5-dibutoxy-p-phenylene). During the dissolution of the nonsolvent vapor and the evaporation of the solution, the side-chain interactions and the π–π interactions between conjugated backbones induced the formation of polymer particles, which further agglomerated and formed the network structures and radiate spherical-like hierarchical microstructures. The increase in the distribution of microspheres improved the roughness of the surface and increased the contact angles more than 150°. The network of agglomerated polymer particles were easier to be formed and induced a relatively important penetration of the water inside the pores. Therefore, the network of agglomerated polymer particles and radiate spherical-like hierarchical microstructures can form a Cassie-impregnating regime to display the petal-effect. This provides a new strategy for preparing petal-effect superhydrophobic polymer surfaces, which show significant potential for future application in the control of microdroplet and micro-fluidics.

A series of benzene-co-fluorene copolymers were synthesized via solid-state oxidative coupling polymerization using FeCl3 as the oxidation catalyst. The structural characterization results confirm that the products are random copolymers composed of 1,4-linked phenylene units and 2,7-linked fluorene units. All the copolymers exhibited good thermal stability. The DSC and XRD results showed that the crystallization of copolymers increased with the increasing fluorene units in the backbones. The relationships among molecular structure, condensed-state structure, and photophysical properties of these polymers were investigated by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The optical properties could be adjusted by using different ratios of fluorene and dibutoxybenzene. Moreover, the polymer concentrations and states affected the emission properties of copolymers. This can be attributed to the change in the effective conjugation length of single polymer and the formation of polymer aggregates and excimers. These unique properties endow the benzene-co-fluorene copolymers with potential applications in optoelectronics.

The novel hierarchical microspheres from conjugated poly(p-phenylene)s can be self-assembled by the nonsolvent vapor method. The formation of hierarchical microspheres depends on the choice of polar nonsolvent vapor atmospheres, solvents, and the length of side chains. The intermolecular interactions, including the side-chain interactions and the π–π interactions between conjugated backbones, occur spontaneously to form various conformations and polymeric aggregates, which have an effect on the fluorescence wavelength of the polymer hierarchical microspheres. Our results demonstrate a facile way to prepare polymeric hierarchical microspheres and adjust their optical properties. Moreover, the hierarchical microspheres with rough surface show a highly selective fluorescence “turn-off” sensor for Fe3 + with almost no interference of other metal ions.

Oriental lacquer, a milk-white sap collected from lacquer trees, can be cured automatically to bright and dense films in the presence of air, thus is worthy of being regarded as a type of natural green coating, as it does not emit any volatile organic compounds. It has been used in Asia for more than 8000 years attributing to its excellent characteristics. However, during harvesting and storage process, the lacquer sap surface can automatically polymerize into lacquer blocks under the catalysis of laccase present in the sap, wasting a significant amount of resources. It is an arduous task how to slow down the curing of oriental lacquer in storage without affecting the normal curing process in operation. Herein, the curing of oriental lacquer was adjusted using Na2CO3 and NaCl as additives. The results indicated that the addition of Na2CO3 quenched the semiquinone radical during the polymerization of urushiol, the main component of oriental lacquer, without affecting the laccase activity. Under the appropriate condition (25 °C and 80% relative humidity), the touch-free dryness time of the oriental lacquer mixed with Na2CO3 increased from 3 h to 15 days. Moreover, the addition of same amount of Na2CO3 and NaCl to oriental lacquer improved the curing time to 6 h, which was similar to that of pristine lacquer without the addition of any salts. The polymerization rate of the lacquer sap returned to the normal again, that may be due to the blocking of the reaction between urushiol and CO32‐ after the introduction of NaCl. Thereby, this study provided a novel and green method for oriental lacquer to achieve storage for a long time and relatively normal curing during application. This provides a guarantee for the wide use of oriental lacquer as a green natural coating.

Biofouling is a common problem, has serious impact on the biomedical applications and maritime activities by human beings, and developing eco-friendly antifouling coatings is the key to the prevention of biofouling. Traditional low surface energy antifouling coatings, such as silicones and fluororesins, have the inherent defects of weak substrate adhesion and poor static antifouling performance. Herein, a low surface energy marine antifouling coating, urushiol-based benzoxazine copper polymer (UBCP), was synthesized using natural product urushiol and n-octylamine, paraformaldehyde as the reactants, and then CuCl2 as the catalyst for further reaction. UBCP can be cured into films at room temperature, which have strong substrate adhesion, smooth and dense surface, and controllable release of effective copper ion at minimized concentrations. Moreover, UBCP exhibits excellent antifouling performance, with both fouling release and antifoulant release characteristics. The antibacterial performance of UBCP towards typical Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus) both reach almost 100%, while its ability to inhibit algal activity is above 99%, and the surface of UBCP can effectively prevent microbial adhesion. In summary, UBCP is a highly effective and eco-friendly coating material and provides a promising approach to address the economic and operational issues caused by marine biofouling.

Poly(alkoxynaphthalene)s were synthesized by grinding 2-alkoxynaphthalenes with FeCl3 as the oxidant at room temperature via solid-state oxidative coupling polymerization. Based on the structural characterization and analysis, the condensed structure of 1,4-linked polynaphthalenes is the dominant structure of the polymer, accompanied with the formation of intramolecular coupling. The polymers not only exhibit perfect heat-resistant property, but also show the concentration-induced discoloration property. With the continuously increasing polymer concentrations, the maximum fluorescence bands were observed from the ultraviolet region to 520 nm, eventually red shifting to 620 nm at the polymer concentration above 0.1 mg mL−1. Moreover, the choice of solvent and the extended side-chains can affect the fluorescence spectral changes. In combination with the fluorescence spectral changes of poly(alkoxynaphthalene)s in PMMA films, the concentration-induced discoloration property is mainly dependent on a transition from twisted conformations to planar structures and the formation of polymer aggregates. Moreover, these polymers exhibit obvious enhanced emissions and on/off fluorescent switching which sense THF vapor. It is suggested that poly(alkoxynaphthalene)s are potential materials for fabrication of fluorescence sensors to detect THF efficiently.

Silver nanoparticle-based coatings have been regarded as promising candidates for marine antifouling. However, current toxic fabrication methods also lead to environment risks. Nanoparticle agglomeration, poor compatibility with polymer, and rapid release of Ag+ result in short-term efficacy. In this study, a facile one-pot synthesis method of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) encapsulated in polymeric urushiol (PUL) was developed. AgNPs were synthesized in situ by natural urushiol, serving as a reductant, dispersant and surfactant. Simultaneously, silver nitrate catalyzed the polymerization of urushiol into PUL. This in situ reduction method made AgNPs uniformly distributed in the polymer matrix. The binding between the AgNPs and the PUL resulted in the stable release of Ag+. Results showed the antibacterial rate of a 0.1% AgNPs coating is 100% in laboratory experiments. This environment-friendly coating showed good microbial inhibition performance with long-term (120 days) marine antifouling efficacy. This study shows the potential of preparing an eco-friendly coating with long-term marine antifouling ability.

Protective corrosion coatings are preferably composed of available, environmentally friendly, and low-volatility organic compounds. Herein, new excellent corrosion graphene/raw lacquer composite coatings were formed, in which waterborne graphene was modified by taking lignin tripolymer (LT) as an aqueous stabilizer and subsequently adding to raw lacquer (RL). Graphene/lacquer composite coatings were achieved by an eco-friendly fabrication process. The structure and thermostability of the lignin derivative were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetry (TG), respectively, while the composition of the LT was characterized by Raman spectrometry. And the experimental result revealed that LT was an effective graphene dispersant (LTG) up to 60 d without any precipitation. Besides, the SEM of the graphene/lacquer coatings revealed that the excellent protection properties were highly attributable to the formation of a very rough surface, because of the highly dispersed nature of the graphene nanoparticles. Also, the corrosion behavior of the composite coatings on a metal substrate were studied by polarization curve analysis and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). According to the electrochemical corrosion tests, the lacquer composite coating with 5 wt% LTG dispersion (RL/LTG-5, containing 0.3 wt% graphene) possessed excellent corrosion resistance, making it suitable for protecting bare metal substrates.

Cardanol, a renewable resource derived from the by-product of the cashew nut industry, was applied to react with 3-aminopropyltriethoxy (KH-550) for the synthesis of a novel cardanol-KH550 benzoxazine (CKBO). The long aliphatic chain of CKBO allows grafting on the surface of cotton fabric via the formation of covalent bonds between the siloxanes of CKBO and hydroxyl groups of cotton. Herein, the superhydrophobic cotton fabric can be fabricated via a facile immersion method, which can be easily applied to prepare various superhydrophobic materials (cotton and non-woven fabric), even on a large scale. The CKBO-modified cotton fabric exhibits excellent resistance to high temperature and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, with good pH stability, mechanical stability, and durability. The superhydrophobic/ superoleophilic materials display high separation efficiency of various immiscible oil-water mixtures, even under harsh conditions or after 15 cycles. The CKBO-modified cotton shows a high absorption capacity towards not only oil on the water surface and under water, but also oil from emulsified oil-water mixtures. The superhydrophobic fabrics, modified with the eco-friendly cardanol-based benzoxazine, are environmentally friendly, low cost, and easy to scale up, exhibiting great potentials in practical applications.

A natural acid-alkali-salt resistant urushiol@TiO2 coated cotton fabric with a high water contact angle of 146.1 ± 0.3° was designed employing a facial immersion method. The as-prepared urushiol@TiO2 coated cotton not only has excellent stability toward UV irradiation and high temperature, but also exhibits great resistance to mechanical abrasion and acid-base solutions with various pH values. More importantly, while the pristine cotton fabric was penetrated and even destroyed by acid or base solutions immediately, the urushiol @TiO2 structures protected the coated cotton from penetration by high acid (10 M H2SO4 for 70 min and 1 M H2SO4 for more than 18 h) and high base (10 M NaOH for 70 min and 1 M NaOH for more than 18 h) solutions. The sharp contract indicates the potential of urushiol@TiO2 coated fabric to be used in some extreme conditions. Therefore, the as-prepared urushiol@TiO2 coated fabric was found to not only act as a high performance filter to separate oil–water mixtures with superior reusability, but also retain high separation efficiency separating oil–water mixtures in highly acidic (10 M H2SO4), alkaline (10 M NaOH), and salty (saturated NaCl) environments, as well as oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions. The modified fabric is environmentally friendly, and easy to fabricate with low cost, offering promising potential applications in resolving the serious issues of oily wastewater treatment and anti-corrosion protection.

Flame retardancy and corrosion resistance required by high-performance epoxy resins (EP), especially in the field of composites and coating, are difficult to achieve simultaneously. In this study, a facile method was put forward to impart both flame-retardant and anti-corrosive properties to epoxy resins, via chemically introducing bifunctional phosphorus-containing triazole derivatives (D-ATA). In the resultant epoxy thermosets, the phosphorylated triazole structure directly contributed to flame retardancy, while the triazole structure can effectively suppress the electrochemical corrosion. With only 5 wt% loading of D–ATA, the epoxy thermoset showed excellent flame retardancy with a high limiting oxygen index of 33.2%, V-0 rating in UL-94 tests and significant suppression of heat and smoke release in cone calorimetry tests. Meanwhile, the electrochemical corrosion tests confirmed that the corrosion protection efficiency of EP/5 wt% D-ATA increased by 95.3% in comparison to neat EP. Due to hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions caused by the introduction of D-ATA, the versatile epoxy thermoset also had enhanced mechanical properties with the improved tensile and flexural strength. Moreover, the anti-corrosion and flame-retardant mechanisms were also discussed in detail. This work provides a facial strategy for preparing versatile high-performance epoxy thermoset with fire safety and corrosion resistance for various applications.

In this work, polyurushiol (PUS) was synthesized through a Friedel–Crafts reaction using bronsted acid as a catalyst. The product was then utilized in the fabrication of honeycomb porous films by breath figures (BFs). The PUS porous films were subsequently exposed to a high pressure mercury lamp for several seconds (5–30 s). An AgNO3 solution was then dripped onto the surface of films to form PUS/Ag composite porous films through the in situ photoreduction method, avoiding the use of harmful reducing agents. Key preparation factors, including solvent type, UV irradiation time and AgNO3 concentration, were systematically investigated. The composite films were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Ag particles (approximate size of 50 nm) were formed on the surface of PUS porous films when water was used as a solvent. In addition, increased AgNO3 concentration or UV irradiation time facilitated a change in the conductivity state of PUS/Ag porous films from insulator to semiconductor. The as-prepared PUS/Ag composite porous films provided excellent electronic properties and thus provided significant potential for future application in various fields.

Correction for ‘Facile one-pot synthesis of silver nanoparticles encapsulated in natural polymeric urushiol for marine antifouling’ by Lu Zheng et al., RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 13936–13943, DOI: 10.1039/D0RA02205E.

Urushiol-titanium chelate polymer (UTP), the reaction product of urushiol with titanium compound, has been used as a heavy anti-corrosive coating in chemical industries in China. UTP could not be made into regular honeycomb-porous film just using breath figures, whereas that could be done with the incorporation of hydroxylated multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). MWCNT showed significant influences on the formation of highly ordered microporous films. The preparation conditions also affected the honeycomb structure of films and then exhibited different morphologies. The results measured from energy dispersive X-ray spectra showed that the content of oxygen around the hole of UTP/MWCNT microporous film was higher than that on the wall of the hole. Moreover, UTP/MWCNT microporous film had excellent acid, alkali, and organic solvent resistance properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1884–1890, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers

Under mixed water and methanol vapor atmospheres, a poly(9,9-dihexylfluorene)/CH 2 Cl 2 solution self-assembles to form various nano/microstructures, such as porous films, spherical segments and microspheres. The water droplet template and the polymer precipitation by methanol were the driving forces that fabricated the patterns. Porous films with different pore sizes were obtained in CS 2 solution by altering the mixed vapor atmosphere. Changes in the spreading coefficient and solvent polarity led to the formation of different morphologies. The introduction of miscible solvent vapors in aqueous atmospheres is a facile way to design and fabricate polymeric nano/microstructures.

Oriental lacquer collected from lacquer trees is widely used as surface coatings for centuries. The lacquer with little activity of laccase is called dead lacquer vividly which cannot be cured automatically. In this study, the cheap copper chloride dihydrate (K2CuCl4·2H2O) was used as a novel catalyst to cure the dead lacquer at room temperature. The redox property of K2CuCl4·2H2O was studied by cyclic voltammetry. The process of oxidative polymerization of urushiol was confirmed by FT-IR, 1H NMR, UV–vis, and electron spin-resonance spectroscopy. At 75% relative humidity, the dead lacquer film with the gloss of 101.0% and hardness of 0.84 (glass value) could be obtained when the K2CuCl4·2H2O content was 0.6 wt%. The results of the thermal properties and the chemical resistance tests showed that the dead lacquer film catalyzed by K2CuCl4·2H2O had better thermal stability and chemical resistance than those of the raw lacquer film catalyzed by laccase.

By grinding cardanol and anhydrous FeCl 3 powder using a glass pestle in a mortar at ambient and solvent-free condition, a novel cross-linked polymer from cardanol, a renewable resource, was synthesized in high yield up to 80% in 5 min. The products were characterized through UV–vis, FT-IR, and 1 H NMR; and the solvent-free grinding polymerization was consisted of Friedel–Crafts reaction, etherification reaction, and oxidative coupling reaction. The effect of these different techniques on spectral, thermal, optical, electrical, and morphological properties of polycardanol were investigated.

Raw lacquer, a renewable and eco-friendly biopolymer material with excellent physico-mechanical properties, has been principally used to coat objects of high artistic and pleasing beauty for centuries. In previous reports, we studied microporous urushiol-based polymer (UBP) films by the water-assisted assembly method. The effect of drying time on the formation of breath figures with honeycomb patterns in the microporous films of urushiol–formaldehyde diethylenetriamine polymer (UFDP) was investigated in this paper. The pattern structure was studied with optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The drying time, which is influenced by the reflux time, plays a decisive role in the morphology, such as pore size and distribution periodicity, of the microporous UFDP films.

Soluble conjugated aromatic poly(1,3-dialkoxybenzene)s were obtained in high yield up to 80% in 30 min by grinding 1,3-dialkoxybenzene with anhydrous FeCl3 powder in a mortar at ambient and solvent-free condition. The polymers were characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and gel permeation chromatography. The structure of the aromatic rings linkage at meta-position was confirmed. Thermogravimetric analysis, UV–Vis, fluorescence spectroscopy, and four-probe a.c. technique were used to probe the thermal, optical, and electrical properties of the polymers. The polymers displayed high thermostability with the decomposition temperatures at about 382–388 °C. The optical energy gap (Eg) of the polymers was 4.23 eV and electrical conductivity at room temperature was 10−6 S cm−1. The fluorescence curve of the polymers displayed the maximum at 344 nm in CH2Cl2 solution. The morphology of the polymers was determined by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope technique.

There are a large number of lacquer-coated, excavated cultural treasures in China, e.g. Qin Terracotta Army. The lacquer film is formed via the laccase-catalyzed polymerization and a coupling reaction on the long aliphatic unsaturated side chain, which requires a long drying period and specific conditions. The protection and restoration of these archaeological findings and the development of new lacquer wares should find a facile way urgently to dry raw lacquer rapidly. Furthermore, to keep lacquer wares’ excellent brilliance, the surface morphology is of much importance. Urushiol, the basis of lacquer, can be cured under UV irradiation within 2 min in the absence of a photoinitiator, which dramatically shortens the drying time. The wrinkled coating with lusterless surfaces, however, was obtained. In this paper, a facile approach was developed to prepare cured urushiol films with glossy smooth surfaces using a high-pressure mercury lamp as a UV source. The C C bonds in the long aliphatic unsaturated side chain of urushiol were hydrogenated for different times, and the effects of hydrogenation degree of urushiol on surface morphology of the UV cured films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that when hydrogenated for 3 h or more, the percentage of hydrogen element was over 10.43 wt%, the morphology of the UV cured films was transformed from lusterless wrinkling to glossy smooth, and that the UV cured films of urushiol acetate also gave glossy smooth surface.

Urushiol–metal polymers have attracted more and more attention in China because of their wide applications as a heavy anticorrosive coating in chemical industry. They could also offer many novel properties, including catalytic activity, magnetic property, semiconductive properties, flame retarding performance, etc., and significant progresses have been achieved in synthesis and study on the mechanism of these polymers. In this paper, a rapid method for fabrication of urushiol–copper(I) coordination polymer was developed under UV irradiation within 2 min. The formation and thermo-stability of the cured films were characterized by ESR, XPS, FT-IR, TGA, etc. The results suggested the coordination occurred between copper(I) ion and oxygen under UV irradiation. In the course of UV irradiation, the hydroxyl groups on the phenyl ring of urushiol were dissociated to urushiol semiquinone, and then coordinated with copper(I) ions generated by deoxidization of copper(II) ion. At the same time, crosslinking reaction on the long aliphatic unsaturated side chain occurred to form polymer. TG analysis showed that the polymer had excellent thermo-stability.

A method for fabrication of urushiol–cadmium coordination polymer was developed under UV irradiation, and then hybrid composites of CdS nanoparticles embedded in polyurushiol (PU) matrices were prepared by immersion the coordination polymer in thioacetamide (TAA). XPS measurements showed the coordination between cadmium ion and oxygen after UV irradiation. In the course of UV irradiation, the hydroxyl groups on the phenyl ring of urushiol were dissociated to urushiol semiquinone, and coordinated with cadmium ions to form complexes. The –OH groups on the phenyl ring of urushiol acted as the coordination sites for cadmium ion aggregations and the nanosized CdS particles were successfully grown in situ at these sites with the release of S2− ions from TAA. The results from X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis and the FT-IR spectra showed the formation of CdS nanoparticles and the polymerization of urushiol monomers. TEM showed that CdS nanoparticles were homogeneously dispersed in PU matrices. TG analysis showed that the PU/CdS nanocomposites had excellent thermo-stability. A possible formation mechanism of CdS nanoparticles in the PU matrices was also suggested based on the experimental results.