Natural Ingredients in Functional Coatings—Recent Advances and Future Challenges

Abstract

In recent decades, coating materials have gained researchers’ interest, finding applications in different areas such as antimicrobial coatings for biomedical applications, coatings for increasing the shelf-life of commercial products, or coatings for the conservation of cultural heritage artifacts. The use of new types of coating materials based on natural ingredients can lead to the removal of harmful chemicals and contribute to the development of materials having different and promising properties. New challenges can appear both in the production process, as well as in the case of final application, when coating materials must be applied on various supports. The present review paper aims to be a critical discussion regarding the possibility of using natural ingredients as functional coatings, and to prove that the same material can be used in different fields, from the biomedical to environmental, or from cultural heritage protection to the food and cosmetic industries. The paper is based on the newest published studies, and its main goal is to be an inspiration source for researchers, in order to create more functional and applicable composite coatings in specific fields.

Chitin Nanocrystals: Environmentally Friendly Materials for the Development of Bioactive Films

“…The control of biofilm infections on the surfaces of medical devices, biomaterials, and implants is essential as the infections acquired in hospitals are mainly associated with infected material surfaces [81,82]. Currently, there is an increasing demand for the development of coatings able to prevent infections, not only in biomedical applications but also in other areas, such as cosmetics, water treatment, and food packaging applications [83][84][85]. Due to their antibacterial and antifungal properties, chitin and chitosan nanocrystals have been extensively studied for the preparation of antimicrobial films, fabrics, and textiles.…”

Preparation and properties of water‐based photochromic polyurethane coatings containing Er(III)‐doped WO3

“…Photochromic coatings not only insulate and protect the substrates 7 but also has the function of photochromism. However, traditional color‐changing coating materials cannot meet customer requirements 8 . It is of great practical significance to design novel photochromic coating materials to replace traditional ones.…”

“…However, traditional color-changing coating materials cannot meet customer requirements. 8 It is of great practical significance to design novel photochromic coating materials to replace traditional ones.…”

Special Issue “Recent Developments on Functional Coatings for Industrial Applications, Volume II”

“…Recently, the emergent demand for engineered, multifunctional materials has enhanced the development of innovative, smart and high-performance coatings in various application fields. These materials must be designed to have applications in a wide array of industrial contexts or aimed at specific applications, supplying targeted capabilities such as durability in severe environmental conditions, chemo-thermal and mechanical stability, tailored surface morphology or environmental sustainability [1].…”