Molecular Architectures Tuned by Non-Covalent Interactions for the Study and Development of Functional Materials

The work shown in the thesis attempts to understand the conformational and redox space of biomolecules and work towards the development of bio-inspired materials. The goal was achieved by developing new chemistries to unveil the structure-function relationships of biological systems using their simple synthetic substitutes. Experimental investigations in conjunction with computational tools helped us to unveil the structure-property map of melanin-based catecholamine bio-polymers and provided the framework to develop thin-film coatings that resulted in ultra-smooth surface chemistries. The findings reported here will be important in view of the putative link between melanin-related disorders such as skin cancer and are expected to contribute towards the development of melanin-like artificial materials.