Electrical and optical properties of natural and synthetic melanin biopolymer

Natural and synthetic melanin have been investigated by means of optical, electrical and photoelectronic measurements. Optical measurements evidence absorption curves which allow to estimate optical gap for synthetic melanin, by using Tauc's method. Dark conductivity and photoconductivity measurements were performed as a function of temperature and for different duration of thermal treatments. It has been evidenced that both quantities are thermally activated and thermal treatments play a very important role as far as gap states are concerned.