Tannic acid(TA)is one of the plant polyphenolic compounds which can be widely found in plant roots

stems

leaves and fruits. TA belongs to the family of hydrolysable tannins and has many advantages such as low cost

wide source

good biocompatibility and so on. With abundant hydroxyl groups and ester groups TA possesses high chemical reactivity. Due to the special molecular structure-the hydrophobic planar aromatic nucleus and the hydrophilic hydroxy substituent

TA can interact with the various groups and molecules to form hydrogen bonds

hydrophobic interactions

electrostatic interactions and π-stacking (van der Waals) interactions. Over the past few years

TA has been widely applied in functional materials. In this paper

the latest developments on TA-based functional materials

involved with metal nanomaterials

surface modification

microcapsules and self-assembly materials are reviewed. Besides

the outlook for future potentials of TA-based functional materials is proposed in the end of this review.