Study of Polydiacetylene-Poly (Ethylene Oxide) Electrospun Fibers Used as Biosensors

Abstract

Polydiacetylene (PDA) is an attractive conjugated material for use in biosensors due to its unique characteristic of undergoing a blue-to-red color change in response to external stimuli. 10,12-Pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) and poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) were used in this study to develop fiber composites via an electrospinning method at various mass ratios of PEO to PCDA, solution concentrations, and injection speeds. The PEO-PDA fibers in blue phase were obtained via photo-polymerization upon UV-light irritation. High mass ratios of PEO to PCDA, low polymer concentrations of spinning solution, and low injection speeds promoted fine fibers with small diameters and smooth surfaces. The colorimetric transition of the fibers was investigated when the fibers were heated at temperatures ranging from 25 °C to 120 °C. A color switch from blue to red in the fibers was observed when the fibers were heated at temperatures greater than 60 °C. The color transition was more sensitive in the fibers made with a low mass ratio of PEO to PCDA due to high fraction of PDA in the fibers. The large diameter fibers also promoted the color switch due to high reflectance area in the fibers. All of the fibers were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and compared before and after the color change occurred. The colorimetric transitional mechanism is proposed to occur due to conformational changes in the PDA macromolecules.

Study on microstructure and mechanical properties of polydiacetylene composite biosensors

“…The fiber preparation was adopted from the electrospinning method reported by Alam et al 11 Briefly, an electrospinning solution was extruded through an electrically charged needle at a required potential (15-25 kV) between the solution and the grounded collector. Electrospinning solutions were prepared using two different concentrations for each matrix polymer and two mass ratios (2:1 and 6:1) (w/w %) of matrix polymer to PCDA.…”

“…5 One of the attractive materials used for biosensors is polydiacetylene (PDA). 11,12 The matrix polymer can be PU, poly(vinyl alcohol), and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). Due to environmental stimuli such as pH, temperature, and bacteria, PDA undergoes a colorimetric change such as a transition from blue to red.…”

“…6 When the monomers of 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) are in a solution and under external forces, the PCDA molecules are able to self-assemble and then are polymerized when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, resulting in PDAs. 11,14,15 Recent studies of PDA fiber composites have been focused on chemical and colorimetric properties. 7,8 The size of the nanocrystals was associated with the polymer-backbone electronic transition and ultimately determined the colorimetric properties.…”

The effect of 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid on the morphology and characteristics of electrospun PDA/PU nanofibers

“…There have been recent reports that indicate that the performances of electrospun nanofibers can be improved by adding the new functional materials (Kim and Lee 2018;Lee et al 2017Lee et al , 2018. In addition, studies on the feasibility of using electrospun nanofibers as sensors have been made by varying the mixing ratio of PCDA based on polymer (Alam et al 2016;Yapor et al 2017). In the previous study Yapor et al (2017), limited the mixing ratio of PCDA and concentrations of electrospinning solutions to two methods, using PU and PEO as polymers.…”

Colorimetric Nanofibers as Optical Sensors

“…Nanostructured PDA's typically show a blue color due to the electron delocalization within the conjugated system . Interestingly, the polymer is able to change its blue color to red in response to different stimuli, e.g., heat, mechanical stress, ligand‐receptor interactions, but also organic solvents, which is related to an irreversible stress‐induced structural transition of the polymer backbone . Kim et al have used this principle to detect common volatile organic compounds, such as methanol, hexane, acetone, tetrahydrofuran and chloroform, in both the liquid and gaseous phase .…”