Deposition Mechanism and Properties of Thin Polydopamine Films for High Added Value Applications in Surface Science at the Nanoscale

Abstract

Polydopamine films have been introduced by Messersmith et al. as a possible "versatile" surface functionalization method allowing to coat the surface of almost all known materials even superhydrophobic surfaces. These new kinds of coatings also confer a plethora of functionalities to the coated materials owing to the complex chemistry of the catechol quinone moieties present on the surface of polydopamine. These coatings may hence become an interesting alternative to established surface coatings like selfassembled monolayers and polyelectrolyte multilayered films. In this review, we describe the knowledge acquired in the last 3 years about the deposition mechanisms of polydopamine films, their properties, and various applications in surface science at the nanoscale.

A Photoresponsive Red‐Hair‐Inspired Polydopamine‐Based Copolymer for Hybrid Photocapacitive Sensors

“…in light emitting diodes and fi eld effect transistors. [16][17][18][19][20][21] Recently, we demonstrated that polydopamine (pDA) (or dopamine-melanin), a versatile eumelanin-type polymer with strong adhesion properties, [22][23][24][25][26] displays semiconductor-like properties that can be modifi ed by chemical manipulation. In particular, covalent incorporation of aromatic amines into the pDA structure during polymerization induced a marked shift of the fl at band voltage tuning its intrinsic semiconductor properties to n-type behavior.…”

Enhanced Mechanical Properties of Polymer Layers

“…However, there are polymer surfaces that are reluctant to such a strategy, and anyway each kind of functional groups present on the surface of the material to be modified needs a specific functionalization strategy. Recently, an elegant one-step and almost universal surface functionalization method has been described and intensively characterized (even if the accurate underlying mechanisms are not yet known): it relies on the oxidation of catecholamines (dopamine, the corresponding L-Dopa) [6] in the presence of different oxidants [7]. This method allows to produce coatings of variable thickness (from a few nm to hundreds of nm).…”

Synthesis of Core-Shell MgO Alloy Nanoparticles for Steelmaking

“…There are numerous and varied methods for modification, including Langmuir-Blodgett deposition, monolayer self-assembly and layer-by-layer self-assembly. This can be chosen according to optimal compatibility with the specific material requirements [3][4][5][6]. However, these methods lack efficacy on a broad range of material surfaces.…”