A Bioinspired Strategy Toward UV Absorption Enhancement of Melanin-like Polymers for Sun Protection

Open AccessCCS ChemistryRESEARCH ARTICLES5 Dec 2022A bioinspired strategy towards UV absorption enhancement of melanin-like polymers for sun protection Zhen Yang, Jianhua Zhang, Huijie Liu, Junfei Hu, Xianheng Wang, Wanjie Bai, Wei Zhang, Ye Yang, Zhipeng Gu and Yiwen Li Zhen Yang Google Scholar More articles by this author , Jianhua Zhang Google Scholar More articles by this author , Huijie Liu Google Scholar More articles by this author , Junfei Hu Google Scholar More articles by this author , Xianheng Wang Google Scholar More articles by this author , Wanjie Bai Google Scholar More articles by this author , Wei Zhang Google Scholar More articles by this author , Ye Yang Google Scholar More articles by this author , Zhipeng Gu Google Scholar More articles by this author and Yiwen Li Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.022.202202565 SectionsSupplemental MaterialAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Due to the complexity of the structure within melanin and synthetic polymers (i.e. polydopamine, PDA), it is a challenge to regulate the UV absorptions. In nature, melanocytes could biosynthesize more pheomelanins instead of eumelanins via overexpressing proteins and genes for photoprotection when the UV irradiation is enhanced. During this biosynthetic pathway, L-cystine, transported by xCT gene, could be involved to form a new monomer structure incorporating benzothiazole group, finally resulting in the formation of UV absorptionenhanced pheomelanin. Inspired by this, we proposed a facile strategy to regulate the UV absorption of PDA by introducing the benzimidazole (BI) unit through the thiol-Michael addition reaction during the polymerization process. It was further found that the introduction of BI units not only significantly increased the content of chromophore and auxochromes, but also effectively restricted the red-shift of absorption spectrum via interrupting the conjugated microstructure within PDA, both of which contribute to the UV absorption enhancement. These UV absorption-enhanced PDA nanoparticles could be used to fabricate bioinspired sunscreens for efficient sun protection. This work will provide a facile strategy to regulating UV absorption of melanin-like materials and open new horizons for the design and construction of bio-inspired sunscreens. Download figure Download PowerPoint Previous articleNext article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Issue AssignmentVolume 0Issue jaPage: 1-33Supporting Information Copyright & Permissions© 2022 Chinese Chemical Society Downloaded 41 times PDF downloadLoading ...