A green approach in the gas-exfoliation and in situ templating-assistant synthesis route was developed to prepare hierarchical lignin-derived porous carbon (HLPC) using non-corrosive, recyclable ZnCO₃ as an activator.

Superhydrophobic coatings have drawn much attention in recent years for their widespread potential applications. However, there are challenges to find a simple and cost-effective approach to prepare superhydrophobic materials and coatings using natural polymer. Herein, we prepared a kraft lignin-based superhydrophobic powder via modifying kraft lignin through 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyl-triethoxysilane (PFDTES) substitution reaction, and constructed superhydrophobic coatings by direct spraying the suspended PFDTES-Lignin powder on different substrates, including glass, wood, metal and paper. The prepared lignin-based coatings have excellent repellency to water, with a water contact angle of 164.7°, as well as good friction resistance, acid resistance, alkali resistance, salt resistance properties and quite good self-cleaning performance. After 30 cycles of sand friction or being stayed in 2 mol/L HCl, 0.25 mol/L NaOH and 2 mol/L NaCl solution for 30 min, the coatings still retain super hydrophobic capability, with contact angles higher than 150°. The superhydrophobic performance of PFDTES-Lignin coatings is mainly attributed to the constructed high surface roughness and the low surface energy afforded by modified lignin. This lignin-based polymer coating is low-cost, scalable, and has huge potential application in different fields, providing a simple way for the value-added utilization of kraft lignin.