Synergistic Polydopamine/Graphene Oxide Hybrids: Elevating Electrochemical Performance

Melanin, a natural biopolymer with a conjugated backbone, stands out as a promising candidate for bioelectronics owing to its redox activity, metal ion chelation, hydration-dependent electrical response, wet adhesion, potential electronic transport, anti-inflammatory properties, and excellent thermal stability. In this study, we explore the impact of hybridizing liquid crystalline graphene oxide (LCGO) into the conductive melanin-like polymer polydopamine (PDA) on the morphology, stability, and synergistic electrochemical performance. Our findings reveal that the gold electrode coated with PDA:LCGO composites exhibit more than two orders of magnitude lower impedance and more than 100 times higher charge storage capacity compared to both bare gold electrodes and those coated with pure PDA. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the morphology and the electrode performance could be tuned by adjusting the synthesis parameters in the PDA:LCGO electrochemical deposition. This PDA:LCGO composite, with its superior electrochemical performance, holds promise for diverse bioelectronics applications ranging from biosensors to implantable bionic interfaces.