Functionalized PVP nanofibers achieved using electrospinning as flexible SERS substrates for multiple explosives...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Polymer nanofibers offer unique properties for sensing applications.
• Metal nanoparticles enhance the sensitivity of detection methods.
• Developing efficient sensors for explosives and pollutants is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers embedded with silver (Ag) and gold (Au) nanoparticles.
• To characterize the morphology and properties of the synthesized nanofibers.
• To evaluate the nanofibers' performance as flexible sensors for detecting methylene blue and explosive molecules.

Main Methods:

• In situ reduction of Ag/Au precursors in PVP followed by electrospinning.
• Characterization using UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, FESEM, and TEM.
• Testing sensor performance for methylene blue using SERS and for explosives via swabbing.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized Ag/Au nanoparticles-embedded PVP nanofibers with controlled nanoparticle size (10-50 nm) and nanofiber diameter (100-300 nm).
• Distilled water yielded smooth nanofibers without microbeads.
• PVP-Ag nanofibers showed high sensitivity in detecting methylene blue and fingerprint detection of explosives (picric acid, TNT, etc.).

Conclusions:

• The fabricated flexible PVP-Ag/Au nanofibers are effective SERS-based sensors.
• The optimized PVP-Ag nanofiber sensor demonstrated superior sensitivity for detecting trace amounts of target molecules.
• This approach offers a promising platform for developing portable and sensitive detection systems.