Facile and ultrasensitive sensors based on electrospinning–netting nanofibers/nets

Abstract

Due to rapid growth of industrialization, urbanization and modern agricultural development, there has resulted a heavy backlog of gaseous and liquid pollution in all over the world and threated the health of human beings. Driven by the actual demand, the sensors possess good portability, easy usability, excellent selectivity and sensitivity for water and air pollution monitoring are highly desirable. Among versatile sensing platforms, quartz crystal microbalance sensors and colorimetric sensor gained increasing attention for their easy accessibility, favorable expansibility and good associativity. Based on above two platforms, nanofibrous materials have been choose as an idea substrate to either capture the marker or amplify the signal associated with detection. In this chapter, we reviewed recent progress in the development of electrospun nanofibrous materials having applications in two predominant sensing approaches (quartz crystal microbalance and colorimetric sensors), illustrate them with current examples showing how they have been applied, optimized and discuss their intrinsic fundamentals and optimal designs. Moreover, we will also highlight gaps requiring further research.