Glucose controlled surface coating with polydopamine

Abstract

Polydopamine (PDA) has garnered increasing popularity over recent years due to its abundance of applications as both a coating and a nanoparticle. The primary challenge with PDA is finding ways to control its polymerization in a manner that does not diminish its applications. In this study, glucose solutions of various concentrations were used as part of the reaction solvent to alter the polymerization process and polymer product solutions. The reaction rate was decreased significantly which allowed for controlled polymerization. The solution aggregation was reduced to the point that the thickness and roughness of the PDA coated surfaces was tunable. This tunable surface has consistent high biocompatibility regardless of glucose concentration. In addition, the resulting PDA also demonstrated unique characteristics, including coating which were super-hydrophilic and fluorescent dopamine oligomers with excitation wavelength at 330 nm. This controlled polymerization can be used to augment the different applications of PDA and increase the functionality of these applications.