Meng Zhang

Chinese Academy of Forestry | CAF

The utilization of renewable biomass resources to develop multifunctional UV-curable coatings is crucial for sustainable development, environmental protection, and green chemistry, particularly for thermosetting materials, which are extensively utilized in practical applications. This study presents the synthesis of a novel, repairable, robust, sha...

Pickering multiphase systems stabilized by solid particles have recently attracted increasing attention due to their excellent stability. Among various solid stabilizers, natural and renewable cellulosic micro/nanoparticles that are derived from agricultural and forestry sources have become promising candidates for Pickering stabilization due to th...

Thermoplastic polyurethane (PU) elastomers have attracted significant attention because of their many important industrial applications. However, the creation of fire-retardant and anti-dripping PU elastomers has remained a grant challenge due to the lack of crosslinking and weak interchain interactions. Herein, we report a mechanically robust, bio...

Advanced elastomers are increasingly used in emerging areas, for example, flexible electronics and devices, and these real‐world applications often require elastomers to be stretchable, tough and fire safe. However, to date there are few successes in achieving such a performance portfolio due to their different governing mechanisms. Herein, a stret...

Developing low-cost, efficient, and renewable polyurethane as an efficient absorbent for oil spill clean-ups is still a challenge. Herein, tannin-based polyether polyol (MTEBP) was synthesized using tannin extract as feedstocks through graft-liquefaction, and then to produce tannin extract-based foams (MTPFs). Benefiting from the better hydrophobic...

Woody oil is extracted from the fruits or seeds of woody plants. Preparing woody oil based and biodegradable plasticizer via solvent-free Diels-Alder reaction can reduce plasticizer enrichment and pollution, as well as dependence on petrochemical resources. Herein, woody oil based plasticizer (TOP-Ⅰ and TOP-Ⅱ) were successfully synthesized from ren...

It has been a challenge to impart high strength and toughness to room-temperature self-repairing polyurethane/polyurea materials. We report a room-temperature self-repairing thermoplastic polyurea elastomer (PU) with mechanical robustness. When thiosemicarbazide was used as a chain extender, strong (or weak) hydrogen bonds were formed between C=O (...

Lignin nanoparticles (LNPs), as a new type of green nanomaterial, initiate many promising applications in polymer composites. However, their heterogeneity, dissolution in organic solvents, and poor compatibility in the polymer matrix greatly limited the applications of LNPs fillers. Herein, we proposed an antisolvent precipitation of the fractionat...

The development of reprocessable and multi-stimulus-responsive shape memory benzoxazines and their carbon nanotubes composites on intelligence sensor still presents significant challenges. Herein, complete leveraging of the long alkyl chain of cardanol containing dioxaborolanes resulted in the multi-stimulus-responsive shape memory cardanol-based b...

Polymeric materials derived from renewable sources are a requirement of the modern world due to increasing concerns about the environment. Triglycerides, the primary components of vegetable oils, are an abundant, renewable, and widely investigated alternative feedstock for polymeric materials. However, vegetable oil-based polymeric materials posses...

The nitrogen-phosphorus flame-retardant coating was formed on the surface of cotton fabrics via strong electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonds with layer-by-layer coating of protein extracted from fishery waste fish scales and phytic acid (PA) derived from plant seeds. The flame retardant property of the coated cotton fabrics demonstrated a sig...

Lignin, as the most abundant aromatic biopolymer, is being widely studied to replace phenol and some other petroleum-based materials in the polymer industry. However, the low substitution of lignin and high levels of additives greatly limited the applications of lignin-based materials. Herein, we first propose a simple but effective hydrothermal me...

Polymerizable deep eutectic solvents (PDESs) have received great attention in the field of sustainable materials due to their green synthesis process and convenient designability. In this work, we developed a novel ternary PDES based on natural tannic acid (TA), choline chloride (ChCl), and hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). Density functional theor...

Bio-based polymer materials with multichannel self-healing ability as intelligent sensor have received significant attention. However, to date, study on bio-based vitrimer composites with multichannel self-healing ability as early temperature and fire warning sensors has never been reported. In this study, We prepared bio-based polyschiff vitrimers...

This article reviews the preparation strategies of dielectric polymers with high permittivity and low energy loss, as well as their applications in the field of energy storage and intelligent sensors. We discuss the dependence of dielectric properties of polymer composites on different types of dielectric polarizations, including interfacial polari...

Front Cover: The healing behavior of polyurethane elastomer is studied based on microcrack models by molecular dynamics simulation. Dynamic exchange is visually observed between different hydrogen bonds. Meanwhile, the strength, type, number of different types, and existence time of hydrogen bonds are elaborated. This study deepens the understandin...

To reduce crude oil consumption and the corresponding environmental impact, the use of sustainable resources has recently attracted much attention. Herein, a low-viscosity and efficient tannin-based epoxy resin (MTEBPE) was prepared using liquefaction of renewable tannin (MTEBP) and epichlorohydrin feedstocks, and then used as modifier to enhance t...

The preparation of sustainable bio-based polybenzoxazines with multifuctional applications is highly desirable but still challenging. Here, we propose a facile strategy to address this dilemma by introducing dioxaborolane bonds into the benzoxazine network. Renewable dynamic cardanol-based polybenzoxazine networks were prepared using the renewable...

A polyimine polymer with hydrogen bond–imine bond double dynamic cross-linked networks was synthesized by green methods using biomass feedstock. This study provides new and important insights into multifunctional polymers with high bio-based content.

A scalable one-step method to prepare BTEs via embedding AgNWs into oxygen-inhibited surface layers of tung oil-based UV-curing resin substrates.

In the past few years, cellulose nanomaterials obtained from lignocellulose have attracted extensive attention as functional nanomaterials with excellent properties and great application potential in a variety of high-tech fields. However, the preparation of cellulose nanomaterials is facing several challenges such as the large amount of energy con...

The healing behavior of polyurethane (PU) elastomer was studied based on micro-crack models by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. It is found that PU elastomer has a self-healing capacity at 25°C, 50°C, and 70°C when the molar ratio of polypropylene carbonate polyol (PPC) and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and 1,6-hexamethylenediamine is 1: 2: 1...

As the second most abundant organic polymers in nature, lignin demonstrates advantages of low cost, high carbon content, plentiful functional groups. In recent years, lignin and its derivatives, as well as lignin-derived porous carbon have emerged as promising electrode materials for energy storage application. In this review, recent progress on th...

Since the original discovery, MXene can be synthesized by wet-chemical etching from the MAX phase. To avoid the shortcomings of the previous etchant, NaHF2aqueous solution was used for the selective removal of Al from Ti3AlC2, while intercalating Na⁺between layers. Thed-spacing of the resulting accordion-like Ti3C2Txis up to 12.35 Å; the by-product...

As a kind of biomass waste, enzymatic hydrolysis residues (EHRs) are conventionally burned or just discarded, resulting in environmental pollution and low economic benefits. In this study, EHRs of corncob residues (CCR) were used to produce high lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils (LCNFs) and lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) through a facile approac...

The purpose of this review is to summarize and discuss the recent developments in exploring cellulose and its derivatives in the applications of oilfield chemicals for petroleum drilling and exploiting. We begin with a brief introduction of cellulose and its common water-soluble derivatives, such as the carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulo...

A novel eco-friendly halogen-free cardanol-based flame retardant with P, Si, and N on the chain backbone (PSNCFR) was synthesized and incorporated into phenolic foams (PFs). PSNCFR was comprehensively investigated via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. PSNCFR endowed PFs with flame retardancy, contributed to gen...

An intrinsic self-healing polyurethane (PU) elastomer was synthesized in our previous work. In this work, three-dimensional (3D) micro-crack models based on experimental samples were further introduced to investigate their self-healing behavior, mechanism, and temperature dependence by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Especially, the number, typ...

The frequent oil spills and the discharge of oily wastewater have a severe impact on the sustainability of the environment and the ecosystem, which make an urgent need to develop a low-cost, mechanically stable, non-toxic, eco-friendly, corrosion-resistant, and highly efficient oil/water separation materials. Hence, a 3D superhydrophobic foam iron...

Graphene is usually used to enhance the corrosion protection of epoxy (EP) coating. Graphite-like C3N4 (g-C3N4) nanosheets can be a substitute for graphene to perform good barriers for the penetration of corrosive ions. Herein, g-C3N4 nanosheets were obtained via calcining melamine at 520 ℃ for 3 h (bulk g-C3N4) and exfoliating bulk g-C3N4 by super...

Phenolic foam (PF) is widely used as exterior-wall insulation material but has poor mechanical properties and high friability. To improve the robustness of PF without sacrificing its inherent advantages, a novel reactive tung oil-based toughener that contains P and Si is synthesized and embedded into the rigid molecular structure of PF as long, fle...

Although tung oil is renewable, with an abundant production and low price in China, and it is used to synthesize different polyols for rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF), it remains a challenge to improve the properties of RPUF by redesigning the formula. Therefore, we propose four novel compounds to strengthen the properties of RPUF, such as the catal...

In this study, a flexible water-resistant fire protective coating was fabricated by dip-coating with hyperbranched polyester (HBPE), polyvinyl formal-acetal (PVFA) and HBPE-modified ammonium polyphosphate (APP). HBPE with terminal carboxyl groups, generally being toughening additive, now was used as the surface modifier, film-forming agent and char...

A simple, low-cost, fluorine-free and eco-friendly method was applied to prepare a novel superhydrophobic Zn-Fe alloy coating on the surface of carbon steel. First of all, the Zn-Fe coating was obtained in an alkaline glycerol non-cyanide Zn-Fe plating solution. Then tetradecanoic acid was grafted onto the Zn-Fe coating by coordination reaction, le...

Fully vegetable oil-based polyols with a low hydroxyl value and viscosity were designed and prepared using epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) and oleic acid as raw materials, which were also used to prepare polyurethane films 1-5 with different isocyanate indices. Their structures were characterized by FTIR and ¹H NMR. The GPC data indicated that the num...

In this work, rosin‐based plasticizer was synthesized by Diels–Alder (DA) and esterification. First, the maleopimaric acid (RT) was obtained by DA between the double bond of rosin and maleic anhydride. Then, the carboxyl group and anhydride group of RT was esterified with tetrahydro geraniol to obtain the rosin‐based polyacid esters (RTT) under the...

A synthesis and comprehensive examination of polyurethane (urea) elastomer that self-heals based on intrinsic dynamic non-covalent bonds (van der Waals and hydrogen) is reported. The dynamic non-covalent bonds include hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces. In contrast to the previous approach in which hydrogen bond self-healing materials introduc...

Preparation of multifunctional polymer materials with natural renewable biomass resources and via simple method not only meet ever-expanding practical applications, but also match the sustainable development strategy. A 3D network multifunctional polymer with a dual-dynamic crosslinked network of multiple hydrogen bonds and dynamic covalent imine b...

Waste cooking oil was modified to prepare bio-base plasticizers (a, b and c) with terephthalic acid, adipic acid and benzoic acid by transesterification, epoxidation and ring opening reactions, respectively. The polyvinyl chloride (PVC) films (a/PVC, b/PVC and c/PVC) were prepared using a, b and c as bio-base plasticizers. The epoxidation and ring...

A novel cardanol‐based siloxane (SAECD), which has silicon groups and reactive epoxy groups, was synthesized. Its structure was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance. Then, phenolic foams (PFs) modified with different contents of SAECD were prepared. While addition of appropriate amount of SAECD into...

In the present study, we report a strategy to prepare rosin-based plasticizers with differently branched chains, which have the same benzene ring and similar alkane structure compared to phthalate plasticizers. Castor oil methyl ester, cardanol, and triethyl citrate were reacted with the chemical structure of rosin-based plasticizers. Rosin-based p...

Internally plasticized PVC by replacement of chlorine with castor oil derivative containing synergistic flame retardant groups of nitrogen and phosphorus, that is, castor oil derivative grafted onto PVC matrix, is reported. Low glass transition temperature (Tg) of modified PVC was produced although thermal stability was reduced. However, the migrat...

A phosphorus-containing tung oil-based polyol (PTOP) and a silicon-containing tung oil-based polyol (PTOSi) were each efficiently prepared by attaching 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene (DOPO) and dihydroxydiphenylsilane (DPSD) directly, respectively, to the epoxidized monoglyceride of tung oil (EGTO) through a ring-opening reaction. The tw...

In this work, an environmentally friendly type plasticizer was introduced. The synthesis consisted of two steps. In the first step, castor oil (CO) was acrylated and then the acrylated castor oil (ACO) was epoxidized with the presence of formic acid and hydrogen peroxide in the second step. The epoxidized acrylated castor oil (EACO) was characteriz...

In this work, new lignin-based flame retardant LHDs were successfully synthesized through the reaction between lignin, 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). The chemical structure of LHD was characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR, ³¹P NMR. The thermal stability of LHD was studied by TGA. The results...

The toxic petroleum-based phthalates account 80% of the total plasticizer consumption in China. Conventional methods for preparing epoxy plasticizers produces a large amount of waste water. Furthermore, cardanol (a byproduct of cashew nut processing) has the potential to be an economic alternative for producing fine chemical products. Here we repor...

A novel phosphorus-containing cardanol (PCC) derived from cardanol—a renewable meta-substituted phenol and harmful by-product of the cashew industry—in combination with 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) was used to produce bio-based phenolic foams (PFs). The properties of the PFs were then characterized in detail. The PCC wa...

Phenolic hydroxyl gave thermal self‐healing ability to phenolic polyurethanes in our previous study. To explore, the feasibility of preparing self‐healing polyurethanes through polyphenols with different substituents. Urushiol, propyl gallate, catechol, and tert‐butylhydroquinone were chosen for preparation of four phenolic polyurethanes, and the d...

A bio-based plasticizer with excellent properties for polyvinyl chloride(PVC) was prepared using illegal cooking oil as main raw material by simple chemical reactions, such as ester exchange, epoxidation and ring opening etc.The GC-MS analysis results show that the phase transfer catalyst [(C8H17)3NCH3]3[PO4[W(O)(O2)2]4]³⁻ could effectively catalye...

Three kinds of tung oil-based structural flame retardants polyols (TOFPs) were prepared by new methods in this paper. First, tung oil was used to produce monoglyceride and diglyceride by transesterification with glycerol by sodium methoxide. The products after transesterification were epoxidized by peracetic acid which was in-situ generated from ac...

In this study, a bio-based efficient plasticizer (acetylated-fatty acid methyl ester-citric acid ester, AC-FAME-CAE) for poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was synthesized by using waste cooking oil and citric acid as raw materials in very user-friendly approaches. Its structure was characterized by FTIR and ¹H NMR. The epoxidation and ring opening reactio...

Modified phenolic resins (PRs) were synthesized using epoxidized cardanol (ECD) to partially replace phenol and 1, 3-bis (3-aminopropyl) tetramethyldisiloxane (APTMDS) was also introduced. The modified PRs were further used for the preparation of modified phenolic foams (PFs). Effects of ECD dosage on structure, free phenol content, free aldehyde c...

Phenolic foams (PFs), made from the chemical foaming of phenolic resins after the addition of additives (e. g. hardening agent, foam stabilizer and foaming agent), are polymeric materials with many advantages such as extremely high flame retardancy, low smoke quantity, and self-extinguishing. However, the application of PFs is severely limited by t...

The waste cooking oil (WCO) production from the catering industry and food processing industry causes serious environmental, economic and social problems. However, WCO can be used for the preparation of fine chemicals such as internal plasticizer. With this aim, this work is focused on preparing internal plasticizer by using WCO and determining tec...

A rigid polyisocyanurate–waterglass foam (PIWGRF) composite was prepared with polyaryl poly(methylene isocyanate) and waterglass (WG) as the main materials; water as a blowing agent, and no polyols. We speculated the formation mechanism of the PIWGRFs on the basis of the analysis of experiment data, scanning electron microscopy characterization, an...

Internally plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) materials are investigated via grafting of propargyl ether cardanol (PEC). The chemical structure of the materials was studied by FT-IR and 1H NMR. The performace of the obtained internally plasticized PVC materials was also investigated with TGA, DSC and leaching tests. The results showed that graf...

A composition of phosphaphenanthrene groups-containing castor-oil-based phosphate plasticizer (PGPP) was synthesized and characterized. Flame retardant PVC blends cooperated with different mass of PGPP were prepared. Flame retardancy of PVC blends were investigated with LOI, TGA, TGA-FTIR, TGA-MS and cone calorimeter. Flame retardant mechanism was...

Thermosetting polyurethanes have excellent elastic properties and solvent resistance, but they cannot be reshaped like thermoplastic polymers after molding. In this study, we designed a thermosetting polyurethane based on a reversible reaction between isocyanates and phenolic hydroxyls instead of alcoholic hydroxyls. The phenolic urethane partially...

The internally plasticized PVC materials by displacement of chlorine with mannich base of cardanol butyl ether, that is, the covalent attachment of the cardanol-based internal plasticizer to the PVC matrix, is descried for the first time. . Chemical structure and properties of cardanol-based internal plasticizer and internally plasticized PVC mater...

We developed an internal plasticizer of aminated tung oil methyl ester for the production of non-migration, phthalate-free flexible and internally plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) materials. The chemical structure of the synthesized aminated tung oil methyl ester and the internally plasticized PVC materials were characterized. The obtained in...

Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) with high Tg (>200 °C) are indispensable for aerospace industry where high service temperature is required. Chemical recycling of the matrix polymers for these CFRP composites is more difficult than that of their low Tg analogues. In this work, an efficient approach for mild chemical recycling of CFRP with a...

Lignin was liquefied with polyethylene glycol (PEG) in a solvent-free system and then directly used with suitable PEG as a co-monomer and co-solvent to prepare liquefied lignins (LLs)-based polyurethane prepolymers (LLPUPs). The structural changes that lignin undergoes after liquefaction were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-I...

As thermosetting polyurethane (PU) is a two-part polymer resin, properties of PU can be easily tailored for a wide range of applications through manipulation of the structure of each part. In recent years, the drive for obtaining chemicals and materials from renewable resources has also prompted research of new applications for rosin. This chapter...

Modified PVC (M-PVC) material with suppressed migration and low glass transition temperature was prepared via click reaction of a monooctyl phthalate derivative. Chemical structure and composition of M-PVC were characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR and element analysis. Thermal stability, glass transition temperature and migration stability of M-PVC were...

A fine chemical product based on a castor oil containing THEIC and diethyl phosphate groups (THEIC–MR-phosphate) was designed and synthesized, and it was used as a substitute flame retardant plasticizer to prepare PVC materials instead of the commercial plasticizer dioctyl phthalate (DOP). The performance of the PVC materials plasticized with THEIC...

In the study, PVC material modified with bio-based triethyl citrate plasticizer was synthesized. PVC was first reacted with sodium azide in order to get the azide-functionalized PVC (PVC-N3). Then the modified PVC material (M-PVC) was prepared by the reaction of PVC-N3 and propargyl ether triethyl citrate. The PVC material was characterized with FT...

Sustainable resources, environment and health concerns, related to migration, toxicity and flammable problems from petroleum based plasticizer such as DOP, can be minimized by the use of phosphorus containing castor oil based derivative with zero migration and containing flame retardant groups. In the present study, we developed a novel phosphorus...

Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) (PVA) films were prepared with AlCl3·6H2O/glycerin and AlCl3·6H2O/poly glycerin as two kinds of complex plasticizer. The micromorphology of pure PVA film and PVA films plasticized with complex plasticizer was observed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The interaction between complex plasticizer and PVA molecules was investi...

In this study, palm oil was the first time to convert into a novel polyester plasticizer for polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In the first stage, palm oil was converted into palm oil monoglyceride (POM) by alcoholysis with glycerol. Next, a novel palm oil monoglycerides based polyester plasticizer (POMP) was synthesized from POM and maleic anhydride throu...

Vegetable oil based plasticizers have potential use as nontoxic and sustainable plasticizer and as replacements for commonly used phthalate plasticizers. In this study, novel soybean oil based polyol esters (derived from glycerin or pentaerythritol, of which two were acetylated and two were additionally epoxidized) were synthesized and characterize...

We report here for the first time a chlorinated phosphate ester derived from castor oil (CPCO) for preparing flame-retardant poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) materials. Flame-retardant PVC materials plasticized with different amount of CPCO were prepared by solvent casting method. The property of flame-retardant PVC materials was investigated with LOI, S...

A novel flame retardant plasticizer phosphaphenanthrene groups-containing soybean oil polyol ester (PSOPE) was synthesized via the alcoholysis, epoxidation, ring opening and esterification from soybean oil. Its chemical structure was characterized with Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and phosphorus nuc...

This represents the first description of a flame retardant plasticizer based on soybean oil containing phosphaphenanthrene groups (PSPE). This additive has been prepared and applied in the generation of flame retardant PVC materials. The molecular structure of PSPE was characterized using FT-IR, 1H NMR and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The thermal degradat...

Novel caged phosphate esters (CP) were synthesized. Flame retardant mechanism of PVC blends plasticized with these synthesized caged phosphate esters was investigated with LOI, TGA, SEM and cone calorimeter tests. The results showed that caged phosphate esters could improve thermal stability of PVC blends, LOI values of PVC blends increased from 24...

The soybean oil based polyester was synthesized by the polycondensation of o-phthalic anhydride and the soybean oil monoglyceride obtained from the transesterification of soybean oil and glycerol at 230-240℃. The soybean oil polyester was characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and FT-IR. And the synthesized soybean oil polyester was t...

A novel method was developed to prepare a castor oil based flame retardant plasticizer containing phosphaphenanthrene groups (PCOPE) for the preparation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). The molecular structure of PCOPE was characterized with FT-IR, 1H NMR and 31P NMR spectroscopy. Flame retardant poly(vinyl chloride) materials were prepared via blend...

A novel phosphorus-nitrogen flame retardant (DOPO-BA) was synthesized from the condensation reaction of benzaldehyde, aniline and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO). The structure of DOPO-BA was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), 1H NMR, 31P NMR, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis...