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 CC 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.