Urushiol-formaldehyde polymer microporous films with acid–alkali resistance property: Effects of formation conditions on surface morphologies

Chinese lacquer, a natural polymeric material, and its processing products have been principally used to coat objects of high artistic and pleasing beauty with excellent physico-mechanical properties for centuries. The use of modified urushiol as functional materials, however, is rarely reported in the previous literature. To develop their potentially functional applications, the microporous films of urushiol-formaldehyde polymer (UFP) were fabricated on a solid substrate by using water-assisted assembly method in this paper. The resulted films were characterized by SEM and contact angle measurements. Several influencing factors were considered on the formation of the microporous films with different morphologies, including the concentration of the polymer solution, the relative humidity in the atmosphere, the speed of the moist airflow and the spread volume of the polymer solution. It was found that the pore size of microporous films increased with the increase of relative humidity, the speed of the moisture airflow, and the amount of the solution. Additionally, the ordered pores of UFP films could be formed even under the high concentrations. Furthermore, the as-prepared UFP microporous films had hydrophobic property and good acid–alkali resistance.

► UFP microporous films have been fabricated by water-assisted assembly method.
► The ordered pores of UFP films could be formed even under high concentrations.
► The UFP microporous films had hydrophobic property and good acid–alkali resistance.
► The films are expected to play an important role in the future applications.