Abstract
Six kinds of polystyrene (PSt)-based colloidal microspheres were synthesized by adding acrylic acid (AA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and butyl acrylate (BA) as comonomers in styrene emulsion polymerization. The structurally colored coatings on a wood surface were self-assembled by thermally assisted gravity deposition of these microspheres. Chemical compositions and structures of microspheres and morphological characteristics of microspheres and structural color coatings, as well as optical properties of coatings and their generated structural colors, were studied. Pure PSt microspheres had a smooth surface and uniform structure, while microspheres of copolymers had core–shell morphologies and a rough surface. Only poly(styrene-acrylic acid) (P(St-AA)) microspheres had good monodispersity and the resulting coating had a well-ordered photonic crystal structure. However, other kinds of microspheres could form short ranges of ordered amorphous photonic crystal structures and they displayed structural colors. Both the reflectivity of coatings to visible light and structural colors varied with microsphere size and self-assembly temperature.
Highlights
Wood is a natural organic composite material, which is rich in resources, renewable, and clean, and is widely used in architecture, decoration, and furniture [1,2]
For the five kinds of microspheres obtained by copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and butyl acrylate (BA) with St, the presence of peaks for oxygen was not surprising, since these substances contained carboxyl (–COOH) or ester (–COOR) groups
It was speculated that the peak of oxygen in PSt microspheres was due to SO4 in the initiator Ammonium persulfate (APS), sulfonyl (–S(=O)2–) in the emulsifier SDBS, and other oxygen impurities
Summary
Wood is a natural organic composite material, which is rich in resources, renewable, and clean, and is widely used in architecture, decoration, and furniture [1,2]. When used as a decorative material, the natural color and texture of wood impart a psychologically good feeling. Wood is a product of tree growth, and it has various types of natural defects. Taking into account these defects, researchers have adopted various methods to improve the functionality of wood. The main methods to improve wood color are dyeing and induced discoloration [5,6]. Discoloration cannot be controlled and the color of treated wood may become uneven or fade away [7,8,9,10]. Fundamentally new methods to solve environmental factors and fading problems of wood color improvement are required
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