TY - CONF A1 - Hertwig, Andreas A1 - Ermilova, Elena A1 - Cotroneo, Vincenzo A1 - Gibertini, Eugenio A1 - Stanik, Eva A1 - Döhring, Thorsten T1 - Characterisation of thin layers of Polydopamine used as functional coatings in X-Ray optics N2 - Polydopamine (PDA) is a biological / biomimetic polymer which has spiked considerable interest in recent years. Its monomer is an important neurotransmitter and it is one of the strongest glues produced by biological organisms. Polydopamine is a candidate for several applications, mainly in the field of biology and medicine, but also - recently - for layer coatings with optical, electrical, and mechanical function. In this work, we investigate PDA layers intended as reflectivity enhancers for mirror surfaces in X-ray astronomical observatories. It has previously been shown, that such X-ray telescopes can be improved by a coating of PDA in the thickness range of several nm. Accurate thickness determination is required to monitor and optimise the coating process. We use spectroscopic ellipsometry to determine first the dielectric function of the polydopamine layers using model coatings of sufficient thickness. This data is then used to accurately determine the layer thickness of much thinner PDA layers. This study resulted in data on the thickness and dielectric function of PDA layers that could lead to a better understanding of the correlation of layer thickness and layer properties depending on the process parameters. T2 - Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft - Frühjahrstagung CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 17.03.2024 KW - Ellipsometry KW - Polydopamine KW - Thin Polymer Layers KW - X-Ray Reflectometry KW - Biopolymers PY - 2024 AN - OPUS4-59760 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -