Electrospun doping of carbon nanotubes and platinum nanoparticles into the β-phase polyvinylidene difluoride nanofibrous membrane for biosensor and catalysis applications.

A novel β-phase polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) nanofibrous membrane decorated with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) was fabricated by an improved electrospinning technique. The morphology of the fabricated PVDF-MWCNT-PtNP nanofibrous membrane was observed by scanning electron microscopy, and the formation of high β-phase in the hybrid nanofibrous membrane was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The uniform dispersion of MWCNTs and PtNPs in the PVDF hybrid nanofibrous membrane and their interaction were explored by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. For the first time, we utilized this created PVDF-MWCNT-PtNP nanofibrous membrane for biosensor and catalysis applications. The nonenzymatic amperometric biosensor with highly stable and sensitive, and selective detection of both H2O2 and glucose was successfully fabricated based on the electrospun PVDF-MWCNT-PtNP nanofibrous membrane. In addition, the catalysis of the hybrid nanofibrous membrane for oxygen reduction reaction was tested, and a good catalysis performance was found. We anticipate that the strategies utilized in this work will not only guide the further design of functional nanofiber-based biomaterials and biodevices but also extend the potential applications in energy storage, cytology, and tissue engineering.