Title: Electrospun substituted polyphenylene vinylene nanofibres

Authors: Thomas Kerr-Phillips; Anupama Rao Gulur Srinivas; Jadranka Travas-Sejdic

Addresses: Polymer Electronics Research Centre (PERC), School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, Private 92019, Auckland 1010, New Zealand ' Polymer Electronics Research Centre (PERC), School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland, Private 92019, Auckland 1010, New Zealand ' Polymer Electronics Research Centre (PERC), School of Chemical Sciences, University of Auckland Private 92019, Auckland 1010, New Zealand; MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

Abstract: Biosensors are a rapidly growing research field, which is being swiftly advanced due to recent advances in nanotechnology. However most of the sensors developed are solution based, which limits their commercial use. Thus, with the view of developing bio-nanosensors based on solid-state photoluminescent nanofibres the electrospinning process was optimised for a novel PPV-derivative composite material. The electrospinning conditions for poly(dimethyl-6,6′-((2-((E)-2,5-bis(2-methoxyethoxy)-4-((E)-prop-1-en- 1-yl)styryl)-5-methyl-1,4-phenylene)bis(oxy))dihexanoate) (PDBH) blended with PLGA or PLA were optimised. The PDBH composite electrospun mats were characterised by means of fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM images of the electrospun mats revealed a unique honeycomb morphology of the electrospun fibres due to the effects of a salt added and the PPV itself. The developed composite was suggested for further investigation into developing a novel, solid-state biosensor.

Keywords: electrospinning; polyphenylene vinylene; PPV nanofibres; scanning electron microscopy; fluorescence; conjugated polymers; nanotechnology; biosensors; bionanosensors; nanosensors; photoluminescence; electrospun mats.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNT.2014.060585

International Journal of Nanotechnology, 2014 Vol.11 No.5/6/7/8, pp.626 - 635

Published online: 15 Dec 2014 *

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