“Polydopamine” (Dopamine-Eumelanin) Coatings as a Concept for an Integrated Experimental Surface Science Course for Graduate Students

Abstract

“Polydopamine” coatings have been introduced about 8 years ago as a versatile coating technology allowing for the surface modification of almost all kinds of materials (even Teflon). This is a kind of “holly Graal” in surface chemistry particularly if one considers that all the chemistry can be performed in aqueous solutions, hence in environmentally friendly conditions. In addition to many potential applications afforded by such coatings, their physicochemical properties, their reactivity and their yet unknown deposition mechanism are an extraordinary opportunity for chemistry students at the master level to unify their knowledge of surface chemistry concepts and to be faced with real research problems both at the fundamental and applied levels. In this article, a series of experiments will be presented that can be performed using a UV-vis spectrophotometer and a single electrochemical workstation by master students in a typical time frame of a four-five days lab course to get a global knowledge in surface chemistry (at the solid-solution interface). Some thickness measurements by means of ellipsometry and some contact angle measurements may complement this experimental course.