| 초록 |
Melanin, which is a natural chemical pigment, absorbs UV and visible light for photoprotection, generates heat by photothermal conversion, and help the development of structural colors. Although melanin is useful in various application, biosynthetic pathway, the oxidation of tyrosine in melanocyte, requires considerable cost and time, and has a limited control of size and shape. In this study, we report an artificial protocol to synthesize melanin-like polydopamine nanospheres by using dopamine as precursor, which has the similar structure to tyrosine. Dopamine reacts in a basic condition and forms polydopamine (PDA) nanospheres. The diameters of nanospheres are controllable in range of 100-300 nm by adjusting the concentration of dopamine at constant temperature and pH. The resulting monodisperse PDA nanospheres can be used for various light-absorption purposes, including the reduction of Mie scattering in colloidal crystals for structural coloration. |
