ipcm® n. 68 - March/April 2021

Page 140

© Maurits Bausenhart on Unsplash

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

A New Study Unveils the Potential of Melanin-Mimetic Materials Edited by the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) Sengen, Japan

info@nims.go.jp

A new study by the Chiba University, inspired by the colour changes in a peacock’s feather, revealed how melanin-mimetic materials, such as polydopamine, could lead to anti-counterfeit and sensing applications.

B

y studying structural colour, which is a colour derived from

appearing white. But when melanin is interspersed within these

optical interaction between light and a microstructure, often

structures, some of the scattered light is absorbed, producing various

seen in nature, i.e. in peacock feathers, chemist Michinari Kohri

colours. Scientists are looking for ways to mimic these so-called

of the Chiba University in Japan published a research about melanin-

‘structural colour’ changes of living organisms in synthetic materials.

mimetic materials and their potential applications1.

“Vivid structural colours can be obtained by constructing

What is melanin Melanin is a dark pigment that gives hair and skin its colour. It is also essential for the bright colours we see in some organisms. When light

microstructures containing a light-absorbing black material made of natural or artificial melanin,” says Kohri. “Research in this area is progressing rapidly worldwide.”

interacts with the structures of feathers, wings and shells of many

The research on melanin-mimetic materials

organisms, like peacocks, butterflies and jewel beetles, it is scattered,

One of the melanin-mimetic materials that scientists are studying is a compound called polydopamine (PDA), which is made of a material

1

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14686996.2020.1852057

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N. 68 - MARCH/APRIL 2021 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

naturally found in the body, so it is biocompatible, and is also dark,


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ipcm® n. 68 - March/April 2021 by ipcm® International Paint&Coating Magazine - Issuu