A simple procedure is reported to obtain original nanocomposite materials combining the smectite Laponite and melanin-like polymers. Aq. polymn. of L-DOPA is considerably accelerated in the presence of suspended Laponite particles, and its mechanism is significantly modified with respect to homogeneous systems. The resulting hybrid materials have been characterized by solid-state NMR, thermogravimetric anal., and electron microscopy. [on SciFinder(R)]