Melanins are one of the largest classes of natural pigments in the animal kingdom, commonly formed by oxidative polymerization of catecholic species derived from tyrosine . It is most well known for its photoprotective role in humans, a property related to its strong absorbance in the UV and its antioxidant behavior. we investigat a reliable synthetic route to fabricate thin films of melanin, which is amorphous p-type semiconducting natural pigment. The electrical resistivity of melanin films was 15 ¥Ø•cm, in good agreement with that of silicon wafer of 1~20 ¥Ø•cm, which provides potential applications in photovoltaics, optoelectronic devices and chemical sensors as a photoconductor.
Fusion Nano-structured Solar Cell Laboratory