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A facile and versatile method using a biopolymer as a chelating agent for silver ions and as a reducing agent for the formation of catalytic sites is proposed to prepare polystyrene (PS)/Ag core-shell microspheres. More specifically, the core-shell microspheres were fabricated by electroless plating after the formation of poly(dopamine) (PDA) on the surface of PS microspheres through insitu spontaneous oxidative polymerization of dopamine. The PS-PDA microspheres were characterized by SEM, XPS, and TGA. The results showed that a uniform PDA layer was formed on the PS microsphere surface and the thickness of the PDA layer could be well controlled by varying the concentration of dopamine solution. The PDA layer was used as a chelating agent for silver ions, as a reducing agent for the formation of catalytic sites by reducing the silver ions into silver nanoparticles, and as an adhesion layer between the PS microspheres and silver layer. SEM and XRD results indicate that the diameter of the silver nanoparticles decreased with the increase in the thickness of the PDA layer. The silver nanoparticles could form a continuous and compact silver layer on the surface of the PS microspheres. Furthermore, the PS-PDA/Ag core-shell microspheres showed a good conductivity of 10S/cm and a low effective density of 1.8 g/cm(3), much lower than the corresponding values for block silver. Finally, hollow silver microspheres could be prepared by removing the PS core through calcination. SEM images showed that the hollow Ag microspheres remained unbroken and retained the spherical shape., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Surface modified fibrillar silicate (FS) was prepared by dopamine oxide polymerization and self-assembly of poly(dopamine) (PDA) on the FS surface, presynthesized silver nanoparticles subsequently adhered to the PDA functionalized FS (FS-PDA) surface by simply dipping FS-PDA in silver nanoparticles solution, owing to the metal-binding ability of catechol and nitrogen-containing groups on the PDA coating on the surface of FS. The chemical composition of the modified FS surface was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Surface morphological changes of the FS nanofibers were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The results indicated that the in situ spontaneous oxidative polymerization of dopamine on the FS surface and the immobilization of Ag nanoparticles on the surface of FS were successful. The FS-PDA/Ag demonstrated a significant enhancement in antibacterial properties compared to the pristine FS by using Escherichia coli as model strain. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 39859. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A biomimetic method for the preparation of highly conductive silver-plated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fiber was demonstrated. First, the PET fibers were functionalized with a bio-inspired polydopamine (PDA) coating, simply by being dispersed in a dopamine solution under mild stirring at room temperature. Electroless plating of silver was then carried out on the surface of the PET-PDA fiber. An aqueous solution of silver nitrate and glucose was used as silver precursor and reducing reagent, respectively. The overall procedure is fast, simple, efficient, nontoxic, as well as controllable. The PDA layer on the PET surface was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and contact angle measurement. The crystalline structure of the modified PET fiber was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphology of the PET-PDA and the PET-Ag fiber was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM results showed that the silver layer coated on PET-PDA was continuous, uniform, and compact. The as-prepared PET-Ag fibers have good electrical conductivity, with surface resistivity as low as 0.4mΩcm. The binding force between the silver layer and PET-PDA fiber was strong enough that the silver layer remained compact and continuous after the PET-PDA/Ag fiber was rinsed under ultrasound for 4h. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A novel method for the preparation of electrical conductive surface silvered acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) was developed. Dopamine was spontaneously oxide polymerized and deposited onto the surface of NBR. Electroless plating of silver was carried out on the poly(dopamine) (PDA)-functionalized NBR surface. The composition of the NBR surface was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS results showed that PDA was successfully deposited onto the NBR surface. The morphology of the NBR surface was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images showed that PDA had formed a distinctive layer ready for electroless deposition of silver. The catechol/quinone groups on the PDA molecular structure can be used as binding sites for silver ions. The silvered NBR showed high surface conductivity of 1.4 Ω. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) functionalized with poly(dopamine) (PDA) were found to cause the immobilization of silver nanoparticles on the surface. The PDA functional layer not only improved the dispersion of MWNTs in aqueous solution, but also was used as a platform for subsequent silver nanoparticle immobilization. The surface morphology of the functionalized MWNTs was observed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The results showed that PDA layers with controlled thickness on the nanometer scale were formed on MWNT surfaces by in situ spontaneous oxidative polymerization of dopamine, and that high-density of homogeneously dispersed spherical silver nanoparticles with sizes of 3-4 nm were immobilized on their outer surface. The space between spherical silver nanoparticles is less than 10 nm. Both X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction results showed that the Ag nanoparticles on the surface of hybrids exist in the zero valent state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A facile method was developed to prepare silica–silver core–shell composite microspheres with continuous, compact, and conductive silver layers. The procedure involves dopamine oxidative self-polymerization and electroless plating. The poly(dopamine) layer was used as the chemi-sorption sites for silver ions and promoted the silver deposition. The electroless plating procedure involves a combination of surface activation, seeding growth, and deposition. The chemical composition and the crystal structure of the silica–silver core–shell composite microspheres were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. In addition, the surface morphology and chemical composition of each composite microsphere were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that the silver layer on the silica surface was continuous and compacted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A novel procedure was demonstrated for the preparation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) decorated with silver nanoparticles through poly(dopamine) (PDA) surface functionalization and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The CNT surfaces were first functionalized by a bio-inspired PDA layer. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results showed that PDA layer with thicknesses in nanometers were formed on the outer surfaces of the CNTs. With the immersion of the PDA-coated CNTs (CNTs-PDA) into a silver plating bath, the silver ions attached to the CNTs-PDA surfaces were reduced in situ to silver nanoparticles by using the N-containing groups and reducing ability of PDA. The dense silver nanoparticles were further decorated on the CNTs-PDA surfaces under UV irradiation. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images showed that the spherical silver nanoparticles were about 3–4 nm in diameter and uniformly distributed on the outer surfaces of the CNTs. The distance between the nanoparticles was less than 10 nm. The as-prepared silver-decorated CNTs-PDA nanocomposites had excellent electrical conductivity, with a surface conductivity of up to 340 S/cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antibacterial and barrier properties of natural rubber used as gloves are very important for the safety of medical staffs. In this research, the silver (Ag) particles were loaded on the surface of graphene oxide (GO) first modified by polydopamine (PDA). Then, the complex particles (Ag-PDA-GO) were introduced into the natural rubber (NR) latex, and the Ag-PDA-GO/NR film composites were obtained by the dipping method. Results showed that a fine dispersion of Ag-PDA-GO in NR film was obtained due to the isolation effect of Ag and PDA between GO sheets. Compared with those of pristine NR composite, when the GO content was only 0.2 phr, the tensile strength, tear strength and modulus at 100% and 300% strains of the composites increase by 66.7%, 128%, 37.7% and 30.7%, respectively, compared with the pure NR. The gas diffusion coefficient was reduced by 15.6% due to the strong interface interaction between GO and NR macromolecules. When the GO content was only 0.1 phr, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were 16 and 32 μg/mL, respectively. These results are of great significance for improving the barrier and antibacterial properties of medical rubber products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Novel silica/poly(dopamine)/silver (from inner to outer) (denoted as SiO2/PDA/Ag) conductive micro-particles were first synthesized by biomimetic poly(dopamine) coating. These micro-particles were then coated with a poly(dopamine) layer to form core/shell-structured particles, with silica/poly(dopamine)/silver core and poly(dopamine) shell (denoted as SiO2/PDA/Ag/PDA). This multilayer core/shell micro-particles were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscope. Polymer composites were then prepared by mechanical blending of poly(dimethyl siloxane) and the core/shell-structured particles. It was found that the silver layer and the poly(dopamine) shell had good adhesion with substrate and they kept intact even under violent shearing stress during mechanical mixing. The effect of the thickness of outermost poly(dopamine) shell as well as the loading amount of this filler on the dielectric and electrical properties of the composites was further studied. The results showed that the dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and conductivity of the composites decreased with increasing shell thickness (10–53nm) at the same loading level. And the maximal dielectric constant of composites was achieved in the composites filled with SiO2/PDA/Ag/PDA (with 10–15nm PDA shell) particles, which was much larger than that of the composite filled with SiO2/PDA/Ag particles without insulative PDA shell. At the same time, the composites can change from conductor into insulator by controlling the shell thickness of core/shell-structured conductive particles. This simple and controllable biomimetic method may be applied to construct many other conductive filler in order to realize controllable dielectric and electrical performance of polymer composites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Magnetic CNTs were prepared by assembly of Fe3O4 nanoparticles to PDA-encapsulated CNTs. [•] PDA was formed by oxidative polymerization under an aerobic and alkaline condition. [•] PDA was used as an ionic sorbent to adsorb the cations. [•] Fe2O3 was used as seeds to induce the coprecipitation of Fe3O4. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Inspired by the bio-adhesive proteins secreted by mussels for attachment to almost all wet substrates, a facile method involving oxidative polymerization of dopamine was proposed to prepare highly hydrophilic carbon black (CB) particles. A self-assembled polydopamine (PDA) ad-layer was formed via the oxidative polymerization of dopamine on the surface of CB simply by dipping the CB into an alkaline dopamine solution and mildly stirring at room temperature. The process is simple, controllable, and environment-friendly. The surface composition and structure of the CB were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The surface morphology of the CB was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the PDA ad-layer was successfully deposited on the CB surfaces. The PDA-functionalized CB (CB-PDA) gave a stable colloidal dispersion in water. Contact angle measurement results indicated that the hydrophilicity of CB was significantly improved after dopamine modification. TGA results confirmed that the modified CB maintained good heat resistance. The method provided a facile route to prepare hydrophilic CB having terminal hydroxyl groups. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Immobilization of silver nanoparticles on the dopamine functionalized polyimide (PI) films was carried out by photo-induced silver ion-reduction under atmosphere conditions. The dopamine has been successfully deposited on the PI surface in mild aqueous environments. The effects of pH, dopamine concentration and reaction time on the dopamine polymerization were investigated. The water contact angles of the poly(dopamine) functionalized PI films reduced remarkably in comparison with that of the pristine PI film. The chemical composition and structure of the UV-induced deposited-silver on the modified PI films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The topography of the modified PI films was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The deposited poly(dopamine) layer acted as binding sites for the silver ions. The silver-plated PI films showed good antibacterial activity due to that biofilm formation was inhibited on the polymeric surfaces in contact with bacteria. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]