Dopamine is best known as a neurotransmitter. What is rather unknown, however, is that the underwater glue used by mussels contains large amounts of L-Dopa molecules, an analog of dopamine.
This composite image shows the formation of polydopamine coatings. Top to bottom: The molecular structure of intermediates in polydopamine-formation; the clay-mineral nanotubes change color during the polymerization process due to the absorbed intermediates; graphs showing different chemical bonds present in the intermediates during polymerization. Credit: Hamoon Hemmatpour, University of Groningen Inspired by this, polydopamine coatings have recently been described that could be used to activate otherwise inactive surfaces. One problem in the development of these coatings is that their exact structure is unknown. Several models of polydopamine coatings have been put forward, but University of Groningen scientists have now shown through direct measurements what these coatings really look like. Their results were published in Nature Communications on February 7, 2023. Polydopamine coatings show great promise: they don't require any solvents other than water, and are biocompatible. They are versatile coatings that adhere to almost all surfaces and are useful as intermediate layers, for example on inactive surfaces like polyolefins. "Yet until now, we did not understand their exact composition and the way in which they form," explains Hamoon Hemmatpour, postdoc researcher at the Product Technology Group of the University of Groningen Engineering and…