Journal
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Volume 58, Issue 4, Pages 1077-1082Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201811763
Keywords
coatings; polydopamine; polymers; single-molecule force spectroscopy; surface modification
Categories
Funding
- NIH [R37 DE014193]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Inspired by the adhesive proteins of mussels, polydopamine (pDA) has emerged as one of the most widely employed materials for surface functionalization. Despite numerous attempts at characterization, little consensus has emerged regarding whether pDA is a covalent polymer or a noncovalent aggregate of low molecular weight species. Here, we employed single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) to characterize pDA films. Retraction of a pDA-coated cantilever from an oxide surface shows the characteristic features of a polymer with contour lengths of up to 200 nm. pDA polymers are generally weakly bound to the surface through much of their contour length, with occasional sticky points. Our findings represent the first direct evidence for the polymeric nature of pDA and provide a foundation upon which to better understand and tailor its physicochemical properties.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available