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The convolution inverse $S$ of the identity on a bialgebra: $m(S\otimes 1)\Delta =j\epsilon =m(1\otimes S)\Delta$. Existence makes the bialgebra a Hopf algebra; $S$ reverses multiplication.

The tensor of left modules over a bialgebra has action $h(u\otimes v)=\sum (h_{(1)}u)\otimes (h_{(2)}v)$. The unit module $k$ has action through the counit.

On the monoidal category of modules over the commutative ring $k$, consider the monad $T=H{\otimes }_k-$ coming from the unit and multiplication of the bialgebra $H$. Its opmonoidal functor structure has comparison mapsHere and below Sweedler notation abbreviates the comultiplication $\Delta h=\sum h_{(1)}\otimes h_{(2)}$. The opmonoidal associativity and unit axioms are the coassociativity and counit laws of the coalgebra. The unit and multiplication of a monad are opmonoidal natural transformations because the bialgebra axioms sayThe Eilenberg-Moore category of this opmonoidal monad is the category of left $H$-modules: a monad-algebra map $H{\otimes }_{k}M\to M$ is exactly a unital associative action.

Applying the preceding construction gives the diagonal bialgebra action and the unit actionThe usual associators and unitors for the tensor product of modules are $H$-linear, and the underlying tensor product is exactly ${\otimes }_k$. The forgetful functor into $k$-modules is strict monoidal. The base need not be a field; the modules need be neither flat modules nor finitely generated modules.

Use right comodules with coaction $u\mapsto \sum u_{(0)}\otimes u_{(1)}$. Fix the convention that $\diamond$ is induced by $m$ and $\bullet$ by $n$. We classify lax monoidal structures first; the strong case is identified at the end.

Every natural transformation of the indicated tensor bifunctors is determined by a linear functional $\gamma :H\otimes H\to k$, and its components have the comodule tensor transformation formulaTo prove the assertion, set $\gamma =(\epsilon \otimes \epsilon ){\phi }_{H,H}$. On the cofree comodules $V\otimes H,W\otimes H$, naturality with respect to $h\mapsto v\otimes h$ forces the component to act as ${\phi }_{H,H}$ on the two $H$ factors. Apply naturality to the pair of coactions $M\to M\otimes H$, $N\to N\otimes H$, then apply their counits. This yields the formula. Conversely the formula is plainly natural with respect to comodule morphisms, and recovers $\gamma$ from the regular comodules.

It remains to impose exactly three kinds of equations. First, the component must be $H$-colinear from the tensor with product $n$ to the tensor with product $m$. Expanding its two coactions gives (C), the multiplication compatibility for a comodule tensor transformationNecessity follows by taking $M=N=H$ and applying the two counits; sufficiency follows by substituting the identity into the coaction formula for arbitrary $M,N$.

Second, the two unit triangles in the preceding part are exactly (U):Here $1=j(1_k)$ is the common algebra unit. These identities are forced by the regular comodule and sufficient by the counit law.

Third, expand the associativity diagram on three right comodules. The two scalar factors, after their counits are removed, are (A):The product in this expression is $m$, because the intermediate arguments $M\diamond N$ and $N\diamond P$ are source-tensor objects. Necessity follows from the three regular comodules; sufficiency is the same substitution for arbitrary coactions. Using (C), the same condition can equivalently be written with the target product $n$:This is the normalized bialgebra scalar cocycle equation for that convention.

Thus the required structures correspond bijectively to all linear maps $\gamma$ satisfying (C), (U) and (A). No convolution invertibility has been imposed for a lax monoidal functor structure. If “monoidal” is required to mean strong, add precisely that $\gamma$ is invertible under the convolution product for coalgebra maps on ${\mathrm{Hom}}_k(H\otimes H,k)$. Its convolution inverse $\bar{\gamma }$ supplies the inverse component by the same displayed formula; conversely natural inverse components recover a convolution inverse by the regular-comodule argument. In that case (C) is the explicit bialgebra cocycle twist relationThis also records which multiplication lies on each side of the twist. Interchanging the names of $m,n$ interchanges the two tensor conventions, rather than silently changing the equation.

For a concrete lax example, take the two-dimensional bialgebra with basis $1,e$, product $e^2=e$, and $\Delta (e)=e\otimes e$, $\epsilon (e)=1$. Set $m=n$ and $\gamma (1,1)=\gamma (1,e)=\gamma (e,1)=1$, $\gamma (e,e)=0$. Normalization and (C) hold, and (A) follows by checking the eight basis triples: triples involving $1$ reduce to normalization, and the triple $(e,e,e)$ has both sides zero. But the $(e,e)$ tensor component is zero, so this lax monoidal functor is not strong.