Spray-n-Sense: sprayable nanofibers for on-site chemical sensing
Date
2022
Authors
Bakshi, S.
Snoswell, A.J.
Kwok, K.Y.
Cheng, L.H.
Altalhi, T.A.
Santos, A.
Popat, A.
Kumeria, T.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Advanced Functional Materials, 2022; 32(16)
Statement of Responsibility
Shrishty Bakshi, Aaron J. Snoswell, Kei Yeung Kwok, Lung Hei Cheng, Tariq A. Altalhi, Abel Santos, Amirali Popat, and Tushar Kumeria
Conference Name
Abstract
A versatile “Spray-n-Sense” sprayable nanofiber technology for on-site chemical detection is demonstrated. Driven by compressed gas, the “Spray-n-Sense” nanofibers, as the name suggests, can be directly sprayed onto any kind or shape of surfaces, while the embedded chemical reporter enables simple colorimetric/fluorometric detection. Herein, nanofibers are sprayed on several surfaces including cardboard, glass, plastic, and rubber. The sensing capabilities of the “Spray-n-Sense” nanofibers are established through the detection of three different analytes including two metal ions (Fe²⁺ and Fe³⁺ using 1,10-phenanthroline and curcumin as chromogenic reporters, respectively) and ammonia (using rhodamine-B as a fluorogenic reporter) in aqueous media. Additional to being highly portable, the “Spray-n-Sense” nanofibers show impressive sensor characteristics with a sub-ppm lower limit of detection (LLOD) for Fe²⁺ and a wide linear working range. Whereas, the LLOD of 6.2 and 32 ppm is achieved for Fe³⁺ ions and ammonia, respectively. A custom-designed smartphone application enables quantitative analysis for reliable on-site sensing. The selectivity and specificity are imparted by the embedded reporter, and thus allow analyte detection in complex real-life samples and simultaneous detection of multiple chemical species through co-doping. The “Spray-n-Sense” nanofibers also allow for the detection of target analytes in solid samples.
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Dissertation Note
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Description
Published online: January 2, 2022
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