Fabrication of a stable poly(vinylpyrrolidone)/poly(urushiol) multilayer ultrathin film through layer-by-layer assembly and photo-induced polymerization

Ultrastrong and Tough Urushiol-Based Ionic Conductive Double Network Hydrogels as Flexible Strain Sensors

Ionic conductive hydrogels have attracted increasing research interest in flexible electronics. However, the limited resilience and poor fatigue resistance of current ionic hydrogels significantly restrict their practical application. Herein, an urushiol-based ionic conductive double network hydrogel (PU/PVA-Li) was developed by one-pot thermal initiation polymerization assisted with freeze-thaw cycling and subsequent LiCl soaking. Such a PU/PVA-Li hydrogel comprises a primary network of covalently crosslinked polyurushiol (PU) and a secondary network formed by physically crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) through crystalline regions. The obtained PU/PVA-Li hydrogel demonstrates exceptional mechanical properties, including ultrahigh strength (up to 3.4 MPa), remarkable toughness (up to 1868.6 kJ/m3), and outstanding fatigue resistance, which can be attributed to the synergistic effect of the interpenetrating network structure and dynamic physical interactions between PU and PVA chains. Moreover, the incorporation of LiCl into the hydrogels induces polymer chain contraction via ionic coordination, further enhancing their mechanical strength and resilience, which also impart exceptional ionic conductivity (2.62 mS/m) to the hydrogels. Based on these excellent characteristics of PU/PVA-Li hydrogel, a high-performance flexible strain sensor is developed, which exhibits high sensitivity, excellent stability, and reliability. This PU/PVA-Li hydrogel sensor can be effectively utilized as a wearable electronic device for monitoring various human joint movements. This PU/PVA-Li hydrogel sensor could also demonstrate its great potential in information encryption and decryption through Morse code. This work provides a facile strategy for designing versatile, ultrastrong, and tough ionic conductive hydrogels using sustainable natural extracts and biocompatible polymers. The developed hydrogels hold great potential as promising candidate materials for future flexible intelligent electronics.

Precision synthesis of 3-substituted urushiol analogues and the realization of their urushiol-like performance

Urushiol is a resource-limited natural coating material with diverse applications; however, the synthesis of urushiol analogues and the realization of their urushiol-like performance remain challenging. Herein, four urushiol analogues, namely, 3-((4-alkenoylpiperazin-1-yl)methyl)catechols with the precise 3-substitution pattern on a catechol as that found in urushiol were synthesized by employing the Mannich reaction of catechol with formaldehyde and N-Boc-piperazine as the key step in a two-step route. By using optimization, the advantages of convenience in operation, cost-effectiveness, and scalability could be obtained. The electropolymerization of these analogues on copper was found to be practical due to their higher aerobic stability than urushiol, affording robust coatings with desirable hardness, adhesion strength, hydrophobicity, and thermal stability. Furthermore, the coatings exhibited effective corrosion protection on copper with initial anticorrosion efficiency up to 99.9% and comparatively higher efficiency (more than 97%) after 4 weeks of immersion in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The evidence from the electrochemical and infrared spectroscopic characterization data revealed that the electropolymerization process mechanically involved the free radical coupling of phenoxyl radicals to themselves and to the C Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019 ]]> C bonds in the side chain, forming a robust crosslinking coating. This work paves a way for the synthesis of high-performance urushiol analogues with potential applications as metal protection materials.

Regioselective Mannich reaction was performed on catechol, yielding 3-substituted urushiol analogues that could be electropolymerized to achieve the desirable urushiol-like performance.

Prepolymerization of Lacquer Sap under Pure Oxygen Atmosphere and Its Effects on the Properties of Lacquer Film

A series of lacquer saps were prepared by prepolymerization under oxygen atmosphere. The prepolymerization process was investigated by GPC, UV-Vis, FT-IR, NMR, and microscope. The results showed that the polymerization of urushiol monomer was accelerated. The content of monomer in the lacquer sap swiftly decreased from 82.68% to 47.75% in 0.5 h. The mechanism of polymerization was complex and was involved in the coupling reaction of phenyl ring, the addition reaction of the unsaturated carbon-carbon double bond groups with urushiol hydroxyl groups, and other reactions that occurred on the side chains. In addition, the prepolymerization also improved significantly the drying property of lacquer film, especially at low relative humidity. At the same time, the sizes of the water drops in the lacquer saps significantly decreased with increasing the stirring time and the surface of lacquer film became smoother, which resulted in its excellent gloss (109–125). Due to the prepolymerization, the pencil hardness and the thermal stability of lacquer film were slightly improved as well.

Versatile nanostructured materials via direct reaction of functionalized catechols

A facile one-step polymerization strategy is explored to achieve novel catechol-based materials. Depending on the functionality of the catechol, the as-prepared product can be used to modify at will the surface tension of nano and bulk structures, from oleo-/hydrophobic to highly hydrophilic. A hydrophobic catechol prepared thus polymerized shows the ability to self-assemble as solid nanoparticles with sticky properties in polar solvent media. Such a versatile concept is ideal for the development of catechol-based multifunctional materials.

Catechol-based biomimetic functional materials

Catechols are found in nature taking part in a remarkably broad scope of biochemical processes and functions. Though not exclusively, such versatility may be traced back to several properties uniquely found together in the o-dihydroxyaryl chemical function; namely, its ability to establish reversible equilibria at moderate redox potentials and pHs and to irreversibly cross-link through complex oxidation mechanisms; its excellent chelating properties, greatly exemplified by, but by no means exclusive, to the binding of Fe(3+); and the diverse modes of interaction of the vicinal hydroxyl groups with all kinds of surfaces of remarkably different chemical and physical nature. Thanks to this diversity, catechols can be found either as simple molecular systems, forming part of supramolacular structures, coordinated to different metal ions or as macromolecules mostly arising from polymerization mechanisms through covalent bonds. Such versatility has allowed catechols to participate in several natural processes and functions that range from the adhesive properties of marine organisms to the storage of some transition metal ions. As a result of such an astonishing range of functionalities, catechol-based systems have in recent years been subject to intense research, aimed at mimicking these natural systems in order to develop new functional materials and coatings. A comprehensive review of these studies is discussed in this paper.