Melanins, a wide class of natural pigments biosynthesized by different kind of living organisms (from bacteria to fungi, plants and mammals), stand today as a unique source of inspiration for the design and implementation of soft biocompatible multifunctional materials.<br/>Interest in melanins stems from a peculiar set of physicochemical properties, including the broadband absorption in the UV-visible range, the intrinsic free radical character, the water dependent hybrid ionic–electronic conductor behaviour, that, together with the high robustness and biocompatibility, have stimulated numerous applications as functional biomaterial.<br/>Herein, we provide a survey of the recent advances in melanin-based technological applications, focusing the attention on two most representative types of melanins: eumelanins from 5,6-dihydroxyindoles and allomelanins from 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene. We will show how the peculiar chemical features of melanins can contribute to the definition of a set of functional properties accounting for the versatility of the biopolymers and orienting toward the design of melanin-based devices for applications in different sectors ranging from (bio)electronics to energy storage, biomedicine and materials engineering.

Melanin-inspired emergent and sustainable technologies

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.