Electrospinning of polystyrene/polyhydroxybutyrate nanofibers doped with porphyrin and graphene for chemiresistor gas sensors

Structural and functional properties of polymer composites based on carbon nanomaterials are so attractive that they have become a big challenge in chemical sensors investigation. In the present study, a thin nanofibrous layer, comprising two insulating polymers (polystyrene (PS) and polyhydroxibutyrate (PHB)), a known percentage of nanofillers of mesoporous graphitized carbon (MGC) and a free-base tetraphenylporphyrin, was deposited onto an Interdigitated Electrode (IDE) by electrospinning technology. The potentials of the working temperature to drive both the sensitivity and the selectivity of the chemical sensor were studied and described. The effects of the porphyrin combination with the composite graphene–polymer system appeared evident when nanofibrous layers, with and without porphyrin, were compared for their morphology and electrical and sensing parameters. Porphyrin fibers appeared smoother and thinner and were more resistive at lower temperature, but became much more conductive when temperature increased to 60–70◦C. Both adsorption and diffusion of chemicals seemed ruled by porphyrin according its combination inside the composite fiber, since the response rates dramatically increased (toluene and acetic acid). Finally, the opposite effect of the working temperature on the sensitivity of the porphyrin-doped fibers (i.e., increasing) and the porphyrin-free fibers (i.e., decreasing) seemed further confirmation of the key role of such a macromolecule in the VOC (volatile organic compound) adsorption. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.