Melanins represent a large class of insoluble biological materials that serve diverse purposes throughout all domains of life. While there are several forms of melanin, most melanins are biopolymers that are derived primarily from the tyrosinase catalyzed oxidation of tyrosine yielding a polymer composed largely of dopamine subunits. In mammals melanin serves to protect skin from oxidative and photo induced damage in addition to many other roles in biology including structural color, pigmented color and biomolecular adhesives. A goal is to harness the oxidative protection properties of melanin and polydopamine in order to prevent damage to functional materials.<br/>Polydicyclopentadiene (PDCP) is a very useful polymer prepared by the catalyzed ring opening metathesis reaction of dicyclopentadiene units. Under the right conditions highly branched rigid polymers can be prepared which present incredible strength and the ability to absorb energy without breaking. The caveat to these strong polymers is that as they are exposed to oxygen, the double-bond that forms the backbone of PDCP oxidizes to yield a more brittle material and thus lose some of the desirable strength and energy absorbing properties. FTIR serves as a useful technique to monitor the surface oxidation of PDCP which results in the formation of carbon hydroxyl bonds as well as carbonyl peaks in the spectra. This presentation focuses on using melanin and polydopamine in order to prevent the oxidative damage to PDCP. Several preparations of melanin and polydopamine will be discussed and characterized and the impact of adding these materials to PDCP resins will be addressed.

Stabilization of polydicyclopentadiene resins using oxidation protective biomolecules

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.