ELECTROSPUN ELECTROACTIVE POLYMER AND METAL OXIDE NANOFIBERS FOR CHEMICAL SENSOR APPLICATIONS

We present the fabrication of a polymer blend PANi/PEO nanofiber based sensor as well as a metal oxide TiO2 nanofiber based sensor. Electrospinning was used for the fabrication of the electroactive nanofibers. The conductivity of those fibers is highly sensitive to the chemical environment and is modified through the adsorption of different species. Used as a chemiresistor the nanofibers offer a higher sensitivity than thin films due to the increased surface to volume ratio. Impedance spectroscopy was used for electrical characterization of the fibers showing high sensitivity. Preliminary measurements of the sensors dynamic response when exposed to alternating chemical environments showed fast response times and good signal stability.