Polydopamine spheres as active templates for convenient synthesis of various nanostructures

In this work, monodisperse polydopamine (PDA) spheres with tunable diameters have been synthesized through a facile and low cost method using a deionized water and alcohol mixed solvent. The PDA spheres possess surface functional groups (-OH, -NH₂), exhibiting an extraordinary versatile active nature. It is demonstrated that the PDA spheres could serve as an active template for the convenient synthesis of various nanostructures, e.g., MnO ₂ hollow spheres or PDA/Fe₃O₄ and PDA/Ag core/shell nanostructures. No surface modification or special treatment is required for the synthesis of these nanostructures, which makes the fabrication process simple and very convenient. The novel application of PDA/Fe ₃O₄ spheres as fillers in nanocomposites for high-performance capacitors is demonstrated, indicating a promising practicality. The PDA spheres provide a new general platform not only for the facile assembly of nanostructures but also a green synthetic template for practical applications. Monodisperse polydopamine (PDA) spheres with tunable diameters are synthesized via a facile, low-cost method. Due to the active surface groups, (-OH, -NH₂), polydopamine spheres can serve as active templates for the convenient synthesis of various nanostructures, e.g., MnO₂ hollow spheres or PDA/Fe₃O₄ and PDA/Ag core/shell nanostructures. The PDA spheres provide a new general platform for not only fundamental research but also for practical applications.