Potential Application of Plant-Based Derivatives as Green Components in Functional Coatings: A Review

The conventional coatings are generally unsustainable in harsh environments and offer limited protection to the intended infrastructures. Recently, the emergence of plant-based components to enhance coatings has attracted significant attention due to their characteristics of anticorrosion, antifouling, antimicrobial, self-healing, and ultraviolet (UV) shielding. Almost all plant parts can be utilized as a potential material of interest, including leaves, flowers, oils, seeds, and fruits. The reason is that the extract from these parts possesses many phytochemicals that contribute to the properties stated above. In the coating industry, plant extract is introduced as a green additive and is said to share similar functions as synthetic additives, which is to enhance the protection ability of the coating. Moreover, they are non-toxic, safe to use, abundant, and environmentally- friendly.