Self-polymerization of dopamine in acidic environments without oxygen

Tung Po Chen, Tianchi Liu, Tsan Liang Su, Junfeng Liang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

99 Scopus citations

Abstract

An alkaline environment and the presence of oxygen are essential requirements for dopamine polymerization. In this study, we are the first to demonstrate the self-polymerization of dopamine through plasma-activated water (PAW) under acidic environments (pH < 5.5). Resulting poly(dopamine) (PDA) was characterized using Nanosizer, SEM, FTIR, UV-vis, 1H NMR, and fluorescence spectrophotometers and proved to have similar physical and chemical properties to those polymerized under a basic condition, except that the PDA particles formed in PAW were more stable and hardly aggregated at varied pHs. The PAW polymerization method avoids alkaline solutions and the presence of oxygen and thus extends the applications of dopamine polymerization, particularly in biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5863-5871
Number of pages9
JournalLangmuir
Volume33
Issue number23
DOIs
StatePublished - 13 Jun 2017

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Self-polymerization of dopamine in acidic environments without oxygen'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this