Polydopamine used as Hollow Capsule and Core–Shell Structures for Multiple Applications

Polydopamine (PDA) capsule and core–shell structures with tailored structures and properties are of particular interests due to their multifunctions and potential applications as new colloidal structures in diverse fields. Among the available fabrication methods, PDA film onto colloidal particles followed by selective template removal has attracted extensive attention due to its advantages of precise control over the size, wall thickness and functions of the obtained capsules. The past several years has witnessed a rapid increase of research concerning the new fabrication strategies, functionalization and applications of this kind of capsules and core–shell structures, particularly in many fields such as drug delivery, catalysis, antibacterial, etc. In this review, the very recent progress of the capsule and core–shell structures based on PDA are summarized. There are basically two sections, including the fabrication process of PDA capsules, core–shell structures, and the various applications based on PDA.