Application of melanin as biological functional material in composite film field

Abstract Melanin comes from a wide range of sources. It can be isolated and characterized from some plants, animals and microorganisms, and can also be simply polymerized by dopamine. It has many biological properties such as antioxidant, ultraviolet shielding and bacteriostasis. Based on the above characteristics, the addition of melanin to film-forming materials can improve the relevant physical properties and functional properties of the film. In this article, the structure and properties of melanin were briefly introduced, and then the advantages and related research progress of melanin as a functional filler in the field of composite film were summarized.