Novel L-DOPA-derived poly(ester amide)s: monomers, polymers, and the first L-DOPA-functionalized biobased adhesive tape

Abstract

The synthesis, characterization, and testing of a range of novel bio-inspired L-DOPA-derived poly(ester amide)s is presented, using a widely applicable, straightforward chemistry. A model system is used to study and establish the monomer and polymer synthetic protocols, and to provide a set of optimum reaction conditions. It is further shown that fully biobased L-DOPA-containing adhesive tapes can be fabricated, which are positively evaluated in terms of their adhesive properties. The newly developed synthetic protocol constitutes a versatile platform for accessing and tailoring a plethora of relevant structures, including a variety of potentially biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol)-based materials.

Keywords: L-DOPA; adhesive properties; bio-inspired polymers; poly(ester amide)s; polycondensation.