Eco-friendly colorful particleboards based on metal-ligand coordination

Colorful wood boards are widely favored in construction and decoration for their outstanding qualities and visually striking appearance. However, the current coloration process of wood boards often relies on formaldehyde-releasing organic paints, which raise environmental and health concerns. Here, a general metal-ligand coordination approach is presented to fabricate the eco-friendly, colorful particleboards without the utilization of traditional harmful paints. Base on the regulation of metal-ligand coordination process, the resulting particleboards show tunable colors, including a range of pink, yellow-brown, orange, grass green, turquoise, indigo, and violet etc. These colorful particleboards demonstrate exceptional mechanical performance, with a flexural strength of 55.3 ± 3.1 MPa. Additionally, the through-color of the as-prepared particleboards allows their unprecedented color durability against repeated wear, unlike that of traditional colorful coating techniques. This study offers a promising eco-friendly coloration pathway for functional wood materials, meeting sustainable, esthetic, and health-related demands.