Molecular level investigations on mussel inspired polymer thin films using nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy.

The development of surface coatings demands a better understanding of surface/interface chemistry to design high-performance coating materials. We have studied the polymerization processes of mussel-inspired adhesive protein, Dopamine. Molecular level insight on the mechanism of thin film formation during the polymerization processes has been probed using sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy. The investigations of the polydopamine thin films with variation in polymerization time of dopamine at air-polymer interface reveal the molecular footprints and polymerization mechanism of dopamine. The polymerization intermediates were dependent on polymerization time, which can be used for immobilization strategies. Additionally, the morphological measurements show the formation of nanoparticles during the polymerization at the surfaces even when the vertical orientation of sample and/ or stirring of solution were followed to prevent macro/nanostructures. The acquired investigations can be applied in designing the deterministic surfaces and interfaces for coating, coupling, and sensing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]