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Thin carbonized polydopamine (C-PDA) coatings are found to have similar structures and electrical conductivities to those of multilayered graphene doped with heteroatoms. Greatly enhanced electrochemical properties are achieved with C-PDA-coated SnO(2) nanoparticles where the coating functions as a mechanical buffer layer and conducting bridge.

Polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) solutions containing a very low concentration of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) of similar surface chemistry, respectively, were electrospun, and the nanofibers formed were collected using a modified rotating disk collector. The polymorphic behavior and crystal orientation of the nanofibers were studied using wide-angle X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy, while the nanotube alignment and interfacial interactions in the nanofibers were probed by transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. It is shown that the interfacial interaction between the SWCNTs and PVDF and the extensional force experienced by the nanofibers in the electrospinning and collection processes can work synergistically to induce highly oriented beta-form crystallites extensively. In contrast, the MWCNTs could not be well aligned along the nanofiber axis, which leads to a lower degree of crystal orientation.

Silicon (Si) is a promising material for lithium ion battery (LIB) anodes due to its high specific capacity. To overcome its shortcomings such as insulation property and large volume change during the charge-discharge process, a novel hybrid system, Si nanoparticles encapsulated in hollow graphitized carbon nanofibers, is studied. First, electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-Si hybrid nanofibers were obtained using water as the collector. The loose nanofiber lumps suspended in water have large inter-fiber distance, allowing in situ coating of a thin layer of polydopamine (PDA), the source for graphitized carbon, uniformly throughout the system. The designed morphology and structure were then realized by etching and calcination, and the morphology and structure were subsequently verified by various analytical techniques. Electrochemical measurements show that the resulting hollow hybrid nanofibers (C-PDA-Si NFs) exhibit much better cycling stability and rate capacity than conventional C/Si nanofibers derived by electrospinning of PAN-Si followed by calcination. For instance, the capacity of C-PDA-Si NFs is as high as 72.6% of the theoretical capacity after 50 cycles, and a high capacity of 500 mA h g(-1) can be delivered at a current density of 5 A g(-1). The significantly improved electrochemical properties of C-PDA-Si NFs are due to the excellent electrical conductivity of the carbonized PDA (C-PDA) shell that compensates for the insulation property of Si, the high electrochemical activity of C-PDA, which has a layered structure and is N-doped, the hollow nature of the nanofibers and small size of Si nanoparticles that ensure smooth insertion-extraction of lithium ions and more complete alloying with them, as well as the buffering effect of the remaining PAN-derived carbon around the Si nanoparticles, which stabilizes the structure.

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Clay-based functional hydrogels were facilely prepared via a bioinspired approach. Montmorillonite (clay) was exfoliated into single layers in water and then coated with a thin layer of polydopamine (PDOPA) via in situ polymerization of dopamine under basic aqueous conditions. When a small amount of ferric salt was added into aqueous suspensions of the polydopamine-coated clay (D-clay), D-clay and Fe(3+) ions could rapidly self-assemble into three-dimensional networks through the formation of coordination bonds. Consequently, supramolecular hydrogels were formed at very low D-clay contents. Rheological measurements show that the D-clay/Fe(3+) hydrogels exhibit fairly elastic response in low stain range, and have self-healing capability upon removal of applied large stress. More importantly, the hydrogels can be used as adsorbents to effectively remove Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G), an organic pollutant, from water. UV-vis absorption spectra of the Rh6G-loaded hydrogels show bands related to π-π stacking interactions between the aromatic moieties of PDOPA and Rh6G, confirming the formation of PDOPA/Rh6G complex on the surface of D-clay.

Inspired by the high transition-metal-ion content in mussel glues, and the cross-linking and mechanical reinforcement effects of some transition-metal ions in mussel threads, high concentrations of nickel(II), cobalt(II), and manganese(II) ions have been purposely introduced into the reaction system for dopamine polymerization. Kinetics studies were conducted for the Ni(2+)-dopamine system to investigate the polymerization mechanism. The results show that the Ni(2+) ions could accelerate the assembly of dopamine oligomers in the polymerization process. Spectroscopic and electron microscopic studies reveal that the Ni(2+) ions are chelated with polydopamine (PDA) units, forming homogeneous Ni(2+)-PDA complexes. This facile one-pot approach is utilized to construct transition-metal-ion-PDA complex thin coatings on graphene oxide, which can be carbonized to produce robust hybrid nanosheets with well-dispersed metallic nickel/metallic cobalt/manganese(II) oxide nanoparticles embedded in PDA-derived thin graphitic carbon layers. The nickel-graphene hybrid prepared by using this approach shows good catalytic properties and recyclability for the reduction of p-nitrophenol.

Polydopamine-coated graphene oxide (DGO) films exhibit electrical conductivities of 11,000 S m(-1) and 30,000 S m(-1) upon vacuum annealing at 130 °C and 180 °C, respectively. Conductive poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene and epoxy/graphene nanocomposites show low percolation thresholds due to the excellent dispersibility of the DGO sheets and their effective in situ reduction.