Fabrication of PANI-modified PVDF nanofibrous yarn for pH sensor

Abstract

In recent years, with the rise of an intelligent concept, oral and maxillofacial surgery smart dressing had also attracted the interest of researchers, especially for the pH sensor with flexible medium. In this study, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibrous yarn was fabricated by a conjugate electrospinning process and modified with in situ polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) forming a PANI/PVDF yarn. By a weaving process, these yarns could be weaved into a fabric. It was found that both the PANI/PVDF yarn and the fabric showed a sensitivity to pH, about -48.53 mV per pH for yarn and -38.4 mVper pH for fabric, respectively, in the pH range of 4.0-8.0. These results indicated that the prepared PANI-modified PVDF yarn and fabric might have a potential application in intelligent oral and maxillofacial surgery dressings for monitoring wound healing.