title: Chemical and structural diversity in eumelanins: unexplored bio-optoelectronic materials.
abstract: Eumelanins, the characteristic black, insoluble, and heterogeneous biopolymers of human skin, hair, and eyes, have intrigued and challenged generations of chemists, physicists, and biologists because of their unique structural and optoelectronic properties. Recently, the methods of organic chemistry have been combined with advanced spectroscopic and imaging techniques, theoretical calculations, and methods of condensed-matter physics to gradually force these materials to reveal their secrets. Herein we review the latest advances in the field with a view to showing how the emerging knowledge is not only helping to explain eumelanin functionality, but may also be translated into effective strategies for exploiting their properties to create a new class of biologically inspired high-tech materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Naples Federico II, Complesso Universitario Monte S. Angelo, Via Cintia 4, I-80126, Naples, Italy. dischia@unina.it
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: d'Ischia
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Napolitano
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pezzella
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meredith
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sarna
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D008543:Melanins / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D012666:Semiconductors
chemical_list: D008543:Melanins; C041877:eumelanin