Reversibly photochromic wood constructed by depositing microencapsulated/polydimethylsiloxane composite coating

Photochromic wood was fabricated by coating microencapsulated photochromic material(MP)/polydimethylsiloxane composites onto wood using a simple drop-coating method. Urea-melamine–formaldehyde resin was used to microencapsulate the photochromic material(PM) via in situ polymerization. The concentration of the MP affected the photochromic property of the wood surface. The total color change(Δ E *) reached 82.2 when the concentration of the composite coating is 8%. Adhesion tests confirmed that the composite coating adhered firmly to the wood. This method is potentially useful for the production of functional wooden products, such as anti-counterfeiting materials and aesthetic wood.