Polydopamine-Based Nanocomposites Applications in Biomedical and Advanced Sensors

Polydopamine (PDA), a mussel-inspired functional polymer, has become a key material for sensors and biomedical systems due to its exceptional adhesion, redox activity, and versatile surface chemistry. Unlike existing reviews that often treat PDA's fundamental chemistry and specific medical uses separately; this article addresses a critical gap by directly bridging PDA's structural properties to its practical performance in advanced technologies. Advances in controlled PDA polymerization have enabled the design of tailored nanostructures such as nanoparticles, hollow nanocapsules, thin films, and hybrid coatings that enhance performance across multiple biomedical platforms. In sensing and biosensing, PDA facilitates efficient biomolecule immobilization, improves electron transfer, and enables selective detection of biomarkers, making it highly effective for electrochemical, optical, and wearable sensor devices. In biomedicine, PDA's biocompatibility, photothermal properties, and ease of functionalization support a wide range of applications, including targeted drug delivery, multimodal cancer therapy, photothermal-chemotherapy combinations, tissue engineering scaffolds, wound healing materials, and controlled-release systems. By integrating recent progress in PDA structure, synthesis, and functionalization strategies, this review provides a comprehensive and application-oriented perspective on the expanding role of PDA in sensing technology and advanced biomedical engineering.