Electrochemical growth of synthetic melanin thin films by constant potential methods

Polymerized melanin thin films were electrochemically synthesized in a 5,6-dihydroxyindole precursor solution on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates using the cyclic voltammetry and constant potential methods. Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (THAM) and phosphate buffer solutions were applied to prepare the films that were well deposited to the ITO substrates. The films that were synthesized in the THAM buffer solution exhibited a faster growth rate and better adhesion to the ITO electrodes than the films in the phosphate buffer. The film thickness linearly increased at the growth rate of 0.8 nm/s as the deposition time and number of cycles increased. Two electrochemical conditions produced similar thicknesses as well as physical properties in each buffer solution. However, the constant potential method demonstrated that this provides the synthetic advantages of faster deposition and less consumption of electric charge compared to the cyclic voltammetry route.