Electrospun Nanofibers Membrane: Flexible and Real-time

Detection of Toxic Environmental Pollutants

Abstract
Now a days much toxic environmental pollutant is found around the world and healthy environment is
elementary need of life, being a researcher it’s our responsibility to provide safe and clean environment to
the world. Increasing population level and many industrial and agricultural activities, our environment
system gets polluted with number of chemicals that are fatal for our health. African countries and Asian
countries experiencing rapid industrial growth, and this make environment pollutant. Furthermore, Pakistan
and China are an agricultural country which needs pure and clean water to its population. There are certain
detection techniques and equipment’s are available but all of them are either complicated or very expensive.
Now a day’s various new techniques are introduced to detect the toxic pollutant in the Environment. In this
context, the generation of functional one-dimensional (1-D) nanomaterials has become an area of intense
interest from both academia and industry due to their unique advantages for environmental applications.
Electrospinning is recognized as the most powerful technique for producing 1-D composite nanofibers via
facile incorporation of active ingredients in the solutions for electrospinning or by some posttreatment
process. Herein we are trying to summarize some flexible, high strength, economical and easy process to
detect toxic environment pollutants.

1 Introduction
Environmental degradation is one of the most pressing challenges facing human development in the 21st
century. Two indispensable elements critical to the survival of mankind, air and water resources, have been
heavily contaminated with toxic materials and pollutants as a result of rapid industrialization. This has
threatened humans and ecosystems with serious health risks. Water pollution is widely known to be a
leading worldwide cause of deaths and diseases. Diarrheal diseases, caused by polluted water, poor
sanitation and hygiene, result in more deaths a year compared to all forms of violence, including war.
There have been reports indicating that more than 80% of sewage in developing countries is discharged
untreated. This affects the entire biosphere – plants and organisms living in these bodies of water. Air
pollution refers to the presence of suspended particulate matter (PM) such as dusts, fumes, and smoke, or
other gaseous pollutants in the form of gases and vapors, which can cause diseases and death to humans
and living organisms. According to the Blacksmith Institute World’s Worst Polluted Places report in 2008,
urban air quality and indoor air pollution are listed as two of the world’s worst toxic pollution problems.
Public awareness on the air quality problems have also been raised due to the increasing media reports over

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the PM2.5 issue. These airborne pollutants can often deposit back onto land and water bodies, sometimes
at great distances from the source, contribute to the decline of both air and water quality. According to the
2014 World Health Organization report, air pollution caused the deaths of around 7 million people
worldwide. Given the recognized threats to our world ecosystem, the focus has been directed toward driving
global research to develop technology and devices for a cleaner environment.

Heavy-metal ions can result in serious and permanent damage to human organs due to their accumulative
characters in the environment and biota. Therefore, detection of this heavy metal ions is much concern and
monitoring of water or soil. In the past decade, some probes and/or schemes had been designed to detect
heavy-metal ions selectively and sensitively due to the biotoxicity and bio accumulative properties of
heavy-metal ions which can cause damage to the kidney, liver, and nervous system and pose severe effects
on human health. Although some probes and methods (functional gold nanoparticles and quantum dots) for
heavy metal detection had been reported, highly sensitive and selective detection of heavy metal in water
is essential. On the other hand, DNAzyme exhibited high sensitivity for Pb2+. However, the expensive price
made them unsuitable for many practical applications. Hence from the viewpoint of practical applications,
an excellent probe should be not only highly sensitive and selective but also simple and economical in
operation simultaneously.
Amongst all these techniques, colorimetric assay of lead has gained a lot of attention among scientists
owing to its convenience, facile monitoring, and no requirement of sophisticated instruments. The
application of noble metal nanoparticles for water purification and their contribution in detecting toxic
metals dates back a long time. Besides, recent effort on fluorescent gold nanoclusters has made them a new
platform for developing lead sensors owing to their promising characteristics of operational simplicity,
cost-effectiveness, easy visualization and high sensitivity. However, the reported techniques, being mostly
solution-based, have resulted in stability problems, limiting their potential effectiveness and practical
applications. Moreover, a sensing mediator is required to be mixed with the analyte medium, and the
corresponding responses are monitored in situ with respect to optical responses, making the sensor
inefficient. This leads to a need to develop a novel and modern method to fabricate a solid template-based
sensor on a large scale for technological applications.
Among all the spinning methods that can be used to fabricate micro- and nanofibers, including melt
spinning, solution spinning and emulsion spinning, electrospinning is widely regarded as the best method
to achieve continuous and uniform fibers on the nano and micro scale. In this process, filament development
is based on the uniaxial stretching of a material from a feeding jet in the presence of an electric field. This
process aids in creating uniformity and stability, with no disruption of the continuous electrospun fiber.

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In this process, a viscoelastic solution (typically polymer-based) is needed. Here, diverse types of polymers
and solvents have been used to develop different fiber structures, pore size and shape. Parameters such as
viscosity, elasticity, and surface tension of the spanned solution can be adjusted through varying polymer
and solvent ratios. In addition, molten polymers have also been used to create solvent free fibers.
Importantly, the degradability and biocompatibility of the polymers used must be considered in specific
applications such as biomedical applications for spanned fibers.
Herein we are trying summarized some flexible, high strength, economical and easy process to detect most
alarming environmental pollutants. Moreover, noble gives very precise evaluation and detection of
pollutants due to its fluoresce property. Nanofibers used as carrier of these noble metals and it can give
colorimetric chart for easy evaluation.

2 Electrospinning Methodology
Electrospinning has been considered to be an effective method for the fabrication of nanofibers from a wide
range of materials. Among the prominent ranges of materials, electrospinning produces nanofibers of
polymers, composites, ceramics, and supramolecular structures. The comprehensive understanding on the
various parameters and processes involved for nanofiber formation permits us to fabricate the desired fiber
assemblies. Technically, the process of electrospinning is defined as the uniaxial elongation of a jet,
released from the charged polymer solution in the presence of a strong electric field. The factors affecting
the diameter and morphology of the electrospun nanofibers are generally divided
into two major categories; materials-related parameters (polymer type, molecular weight, solvent type,
viscosity, solution conductivity, surface tension, etc.) and electrospinning process parameters (applied
voltage, distance between electrodes, flow rate, nozzle diameter, collector type, etc.). The uniform and
defect-free (bead-free) electrospun nanofibers display various features, including high surface area, coupled
with excellent porosity, high structural and mechanical properties, flexibility, low basis weight, and cost
effectiveness nature. The most compelling benefit in the entire electrospinning process is their efficiency
to completely lace together a variety of functional molecules/ particles into a nanofiber’s matrix. Moreover,
these functional molecules/particles either disperse into the polymer solution, followed by electrospinning
them to produce composites in the form of continuous nanofibers (named in-situ approach) or attaching on
the nanofibrous assemblies (named ex-situ approach). Both of the resulting products possess enhanced
manufacturing capabilities and use a facile technique and carry remarkable flexibility. The eminent feature
of high flexibility aids in their easy handling and maintains their reproducibility. In order to obtain high
sensitivity towards the analyte, the selection of substrate supporting effective loading of enzymes is
essential. High-surface area, optimum porosity, and chemical inertness are some of the ideal features
essential to obtain elevated performance for the sensors. Till now, several nanostructured materials have

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been used successfully as support matrix, including porous silica structures and nanoparticles; and also,
various approaches can be adopted for the immobilization of enzyme including physical adsorption, cross-
linking, and self-assembly. The nanoparticles usually limit the mass transfer rate and are also difficult to
recycle. Out of different host materials, electrospun fibrous membrane proves to be efficient for achieving
improved sensing performance because of its appealing feature of a large surface area and porous structure
facilitating enhanced functionalization and high loading capacity, stability, and long lifetime of enzymes.
There has been great interest in the fabrication of electrospun metal oxide nanofibers and noble metal
nanofibers for environmental pollutants detection, as these tend to form highly porous three-dimensional
networks, possessing high conductivity, minimized diffusion resistance for analytes, and enhanced electron
transfer. One of the simplest methods of incorporating noble metal in the nanofibers is, followed by the
process of electrospinning, and subsequent change in the fluorescence or physical color can verify the
respective pollutant. As we looked for further details in the literature, electrospun-based nanofibers and
their composites proved to overcome the disadvantages confronted in previous investigations, thus
enhancing the overall sensing performance of pollutant. This technique has elaborated the stability of the
noble metals and their extended application. The following sections brief the importance of electrospun
nanofiber based environmental pollutant sensing performance under several aspects.

Figure 1. Schematic illustration of Electrospinning

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3 Sensing of Environmental Pollutants
3.1 Heavy metal sensing
The heavy metals in the human body and/ or in the environment can be highly alarming for mankind, and
recently, much efforts have been made to develop reliable and sensitive techniques for their detection. Metal
nanoclusters (MNCs) are composed of several to tens of atoms and have drawn considerable research
interest due to their unique electrical, physical and optical properties. MNCs are emerging as a very
promising analytical platform for diverse sensing applications, as especially for selective sensing of heavy
metal ions. Among the detection methods, the optical active nanofibers appeared to be promising carrier
for MNCs in real time selective detection of heavy metal applications. Recently, Senthamizhan et al have
been develop first time high fluorescence and flexible gold nanocluster (AuNCs) with PVA nanofibers
membrane (NFM) for selective mercury (Hg2+) heavy metal detection from water. The final color change
linked with selective coordination of Hg2+ has demonstrated trouble-free “naked eye” colorimetric sensing
(Figure 1 and 2). The selectivity of the AuNCs with PVA NFM has been shown by its response to other
toxic heavy metals interferences (Pb2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Cd2+) in water. Furthermore, the contact mode
approach has been taken into consideration for the visual fluorescent response to Hg+ and detection limit
was achieved from 100ppt to 1 ppm. The very promising features of high stability, flexibility sensitivity
and selectivity have been emphasized the utility of the sensor, indicating its practical applications in the
environment monitoring of toxic mercury. [1]

Figure 1. Selective fluorescence changing AuNCs, PVA NFM.

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Figure 2. (A) SEM image of the cross-linked AuNC*NFM (a). Inset shows a photograph taken under UV
light. (b) CLSM image of the AuNC*NF. (c,d) Flexible nature of the nanofibrous membrane. (B) Sensing
performance of AuNC*NFM upon exposure to different metal ions in water. The concentration of all metal
ions was fixed at 10 ppm. Photographs were taken under UV and white light.

Another extend work, Senthamizhan et al have been develop first time high fluorescence and flexible gold
nanocluster (AuNCs) with PCL nanofibers membrane (NFM) for selective mercury (Hg2+) heavy metal
detection from water. The final color change linked with selective coordination of Hg2+ has demonstrated
trouble-free “naked eye” colorimetric sensing (Figure 3). The selectivity of the AuNCs with PCL NFM has
been shown by its response to other toxic heavy metals interferences (Pb2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Cd2+) in water.
Furthermore, the contact mode approach has been taken into consideration for the visual fluorescent
response to Hg+ and detection limit was achieved from 100ppt to 1 ppm. The very promising features of
high stability, flexibility sensitivity and selectivity have been emphasized the utility of the sensor, indicating
its practical applications in the environment monitoring of toxic mercury. [2]

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Figure 3. (A) Representative SEM images of the electrospun PCL-NF (a) gold nanocluster (AuNC) coated
PCL-NF (AuNC*PCL-NF) in the presence (b) and absence (c) of excess BSA ligand. The arrow indicates
the excess amount of weakly-adsorbed ligand across the NF surface. (d) HAADF-STEM elemental
mapping of the C, O, S, and Au elements present in the AuNC*PCL single NF, shows AuNCs are
consistently anchored on the surface of NFs. (e) Fluorescence image of AuNC*PCL-NF taken using a
CLSM, excited at 488 nm. The red color emitted is owed to the characteristic emission of AuNC. (f) CLSM
image of the AuNC*PCL single NF confirms the uniform bright fluorescent feature throughout the NF
surface. (B) Selective sensing performance of AuNC*PCL-SNF and the AuNC*PCL-NF mat. The CLSM
image presents the fluorescence response of AuNC*PCL-SNF (a) and the AuNC*PCL-NF mat (b) to
various metal ions (indicated in each image) at concentrations of 10 ppm. (Scale bar (a)—2 _m, and (b) 5
_m; note: for Hg2+ only, DIC images are given since fluorescence is completely quenched and CLSM
images become fully black.) The H2O treated AuNC*PCL-NFs show their stability and proves that the
decreased fluorescence upon the addition of metal ions is not because of solvent. (c) Variation in the

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emission spectra of di_erent metal ions treated with AuNC*PCL-SNF. (d) Bar diagram illustrating the
relative variations in the fluorescence intensity of the single NF and nanofibrous mat.

Another work, Senthamizhan et al have been develop first time high fluorescence and flexible DTT gold
nanocluster (DTT-AuNCs) with porous cellulose nanofibers membrane (NFM) for selective copper (Cu2+)
heavy metal detection from water. The final color change linked with selective coordination of Cu2+ has
demonstrated trouble-free “naked eye” colorimetric sensing (Figure 4). The selectivity of the AuNCs with
PCL NFM has been shown by its response to other toxic heavy metals interferences (Pb2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, Zn2+,
Cd2+) in water. Furthermore, the contact mode approach has been taken into consideration for the visual
fluorescent response to Cu2+ and detection limit was achieved from 100ppt to 1 ppm. The very promising
features of high stability, flexibility sensitivity and selectivity have been emphasized the utility of the
sensor, indicating its practical applications in the environment monitoring of toxic mercury. [3]

Figure 4. (a) SEM images of the electrospun pCAF before and (b) after incorporating DTT.AuNC. The
higher magnification view shows as an inset in their corresponding figures (scale bar-1 μ m). The image
evidently confirms the porous structure of CAF and subsequently porous nature of CAF is reduced after

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incorporating DTT.AuNC (c) Photograph of the DTT.AuNC@pCAF under UV light (λ ext-254 nm) and
(d) day light condition. TEM image of single DTT.AuNC@pCAF (e) in the presence and (f) absence of
excess DTT ligand. (g) Compared emission spectra of DTT.AuNC solution and DTT.AuNC@pCAF.

Another study reported by Parsaee demonstrated the feasibility of using bio-synthesized gold nanoparticles
as Hg2+ sensing probes [4]. The concentrated extracts of Gracilaria canaliculata alga were used as
reductants for synthesizing the gold nanoparticles under ultrasonic conditions. The electrospun sensing
probe was prepared from the solution mixture of gold nanoparticles, rhodamine B (RhB), and tetraethyl
orthosilicate (TEOS) on a glass slide for evaluating the sensing performance. The chemosensor function
can be explained based on the gold-amalgam formation, and the catalytic activity on sodium borohydride
and RhB, which leads to a distinguishable change in color from red and yellow fluorescence to colorless
by converting the amount of Hg2+ deposited on gold nanoparticles. The sensors showed the colorimetric
and fluorescent detection limits of 2.21 nM and 1.10 nM, respectively. Furthermore, the sensor that was
developed produced excellent performances in real-time samples, including tap and wastewater.

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Figure 5 bio-synthesized gold nanoparticles as Hg2+ sensing probes

Wei et al. prepared poly(vinyl alcohol) electrospun nanofibrous (PVANF) membranes modified with
spirolactam–rhodamine derivatives (PVANF–SRD) and sulfo-spirolactam–rhodamine derivatives
(PVANF–SSRD) that sensitively detect metal ions [5]. Firstly, SRD and SSRD were synthesized and then
functionalized in nanofibers, as shown in schematic Figure 6i. The PVA was dissolved and refluxed to
obtain a homogeneous solution followed by the addition of glutaraldehyde (GA) prior to electrospinning.
The resulting solution was further electrospun to obtain PVANF/GA nanofibrous membranes that were
further immersed in a solution mixture containing 10% HCl and 90% methanol for 9 days in order to get a
water-stable nanofibrous membrane. Further, the obtained membrane was subjected to immersion in a
NaOH solution followed by the introduction of epichlorohydrin; the mixture was then placed on an
incubating shaker, and afterward, thoroughly washed with distilled water. The membrane was then
transferred and immersed in a mixture containing equal proportions of water and ethanol with SRD and
SSRD, after which the mixture was placed in an incubator shaker, rinsed, and dried with nitrogen. The
membranes were applied in the detection of metal ions. Precisely, the PVANF–SSRD membrane was
employed for the detection of Hg2+ ions, whereas the PVANF–SRD membrane was used to detect Fe3+
and Cr3+ ions. As depicted in Figure 6iiB, the PVANF–SSRD membranes were immersed in the mercury
and other ions solution at a concentration of 1 _ 10􀀀3 M, and the outcome revealed an excellent specific
response to the Hg2+ ions. The exposure to various concentrations of Hg2+ ions indicated good sensitivity
and selectivity, and a fast response with a detection limit of approximately 5.0 _ 10􀀀7 M. The membrane
also showed good reversibility upon treatment with EDTA, indicating their sustainability
in detection applications.

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Figure 6. (i) Synthetic route of SRD and SSRD. (A) Schematic illustration of the functionalization of a
poly(vinyl alcohol) electrospun nanofiber membrane by SRD (X = O, Mn+ = Fe3+ or Cr3+) or SSRD (X
= S, Mn+ = Hg2+) and metal detection/adsorption applications (B). (ii) Photographs of the PVANF–SRD
membrane (A) and PVANF–SSRD membrane (B) immersed into K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Co2+, Mn2+, Ni2+,
Zn2+, Ba2+, Al3+, Cu2+, Cd2+, Ag+, Hg2+, Cr3+, and Fe3+ aqueous solutions (1.0 _ 10􀀀3 M) for 5 min.

Cho et al. used pyrene derivative (PyDAN2) or rhodamine B derivative (RhBN2)–modified poly(2-
hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-N-methylolacrylamide) (poly(HEMA-co-NMA)) copolymer electrospun
(ES) nanofibers for the detection of Cu2 +, Hg2 +, and pH [6]. The design and fabrication process of
fluorescent electrospun nanofibers is presented in Figure 7. The study progressed with the combined efforts
of synthesis, electrospinning, immobilization, characterization, and sensor application. Experimentally, a
free radical polymerization process was used for the preparation of poly(HEMA-co-NMA), and then Hg2 +
sensing probe rhodamine derivatives were synthesized. The copolymer was used for the fabrication of
nanofibers using electrospinning followed by crosslinking to enhance the stability, and then it underwent a
series of processes to immobilize the functional probe on the surface in three steps. Briefly, initially the
fibers were freeze dried and immobilized with 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide with the hydroxyl groups on the
fiber surface (Fiber-Br) followed by surface grafting of pentafluorophenyl methacrylate amine-containing
spirolactam (PPFMA) for surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). As the final
step, a mercury-responsive probe with RhBN2 was incorporated on the surfaces of the fibers, which was
denoted as Fiber-g-RhBN2 and used in the detection of Hg2 +. The experimental sensor results showed an
excellent selectivity toward Hg2+ rather than the other ions tested, including Cu2+, Cd2+, Cd3+, Fe2+,

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K+, Mg2+, Na+, Pb2+, and Zn2 + through a substantial enhancement in PL intensity. The non-fluorescent
RhBN2 transformed into ring open cyclic form, which led to strong fluorescence of an orange–red color
upon interaction with Hg2 +. The Fiber-g-RhBN2 was found to have the minimum and maximum limits of
detection at 10􀀀7–10􀀀6 M and 10􀀀2–10􀀀1 M, respectively, and the fluorescence was reversed upon
treatment with EDTA, which can be used for at least four cycles. The outcome of the study indicated that
the high surface-to-volume ratio of electrospun nanofibrous membranes plays a key role in the findings and
“necked eye” sensors in environmental pollution monitoring.

Figure 7 Design of multifunctional fluorescent ES nanofibers from poly(HEMA-co-NMA) ES nanofibers

Another study reported the preparation of a highly sensitive and selective fluorescent nanofibrous
membrane (FNFM) using polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers and subsequent surface immobilization of
dithioacetal-modified perylenediimide (DTPDI) for the detection of mercuric ions (II) that possess excellent
stability under mechanical force through electrostatic interaction [7]. In order to prepare the FNFM, as the
first step, the PAN nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning from the precursor solution of PAN
dissolved in dimethylformamide (DMF). Then the PAN nanofibers were hydrolyzed with NaOH for the
sake of achieving a negatively charged surface, and were washed with deionized water, which was followed
by immersion in the DTPDI solution. That was further placed in a thermostatic shaker bath, washed, and

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dried. The resultant membrane was subsequently used in the sensing of Hg2 + through treatment with
several concentrations ranging from 1 ppm to 1 ppb. The outcome of the sensing experiment indicated that
the FNFM has the potential to detect Hg2 + as low as 1 ppb and that the detection limit meets the
requirements set byWorld Health Organization (6 ppb) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2
ppb). Besides, the FNFM exhibited a selective response to Hg2+ over other co-existent ions. The sensing
mechanism of the FNFM can be explained this way: upon interaction with Hg2+, C–S–C bonds present in
the DTPDI were broken and produced oil-soluble AL dye, as depicted in Figure 8. Further, the durability
of the FNFM was investigated by washing the FNFM with dichloromethane, and the results indicated that
the performance was stable even after seven cycles.

Figure 8. Schematic illustration for the sensing of Hg2+ by a fluorescent nanofibrous membrane
(FNFM).

Li et al. has reported an intriguing and economic pyromelliticdianhydride(PMDA)-grafted deacetylated

cellulose acetate (DCA-PMDA) electrospun nanofibrous membrane with dual functions, the adsorption
(through filtration) and colorimetric detection (through the Na2S color-producing reaction) of lead(II) ion
(Pb2+) in polluted water (Figure 9) [8]. PMDA performs very well as a grafting agent for adsorbents

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because it can readily react with hydroxyl or amide groups and simultaneously introduce large amounts of
carboxyl groups on the adsorbents, which can improve the adsorption capacity for Pb2+. The color of the
DCA-PMDA changes from white to dark yellowbrown due to the formation of PbS, which can be leveraged
for the colorimetric detection of Pb2+ by the naked eye with a detection limit of 0.048 mm and a maximum
adsorption capacity up to 326.80 mg g-1. Furthermore, the membrane could be regenerated via extraction
of Pb2+ with HNO3 and reused over many cycles without losing functionality. Wei et al. have also
developed two kinds of poly(vinyl alcohol) electrospun nanofibrous (PVANF) membranes modified with
spirolactam-rhodamineine derivatives (PVANF-SRD) and sulfo-spirolactam-rhodamine derivatives
(PVANFSSRD), which exhibited high selectivity and sensitivity toward Fe3+/Cr3+ and Hg2+,
respectively.

Figure 9: Schematic illustration of the fabrication procedure of DCA-PMDA NFM and simultaneous
colorimetric detection and enrichment of target Pb2+ by DCA-PMDA NFM.

3.2 Solvent sensing

Senthamizhan et al report a flexible fluorescent nanofibrous membrane (FNFM) prepared by decorating the
gold nanocluster (AuNC) on electrospun polysulfone nanofibrous membrane for rapid visual colorimetric
detection of H2O2 [9]. The provision of AuNC coupled toNFMhas proven to be advantageous for facile
and quick visualization of the obtained results, permitting instant, selective, and on-site detection. We
strongly suggest that the fast response time is ascribed to the enhanced probabilities of interaction with
AuNC located at the surface of NF. It has been observed that the color change from red to blue is dependent
on

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the concentration, which is exclusively selective for hydrogen peroxide. The detection limit has been found
to be 500 nMusing confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), visually recognizable with good accuracy
and stability. A systematic comparison was performed between the sensing performance of FNFM and
AuNC solution. The underlying sensing mechanism is demonstrated using UV spectra, transmission
electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The corresponding
disappearance of the characteristic emissions of gold nanoclusters and the emergence of a localized surface
plasmon resonance (LSPR) band, stressing this unique characteristic of gold nanoparticles. Hence, it is
evident that the conversion of nanoparticles from nanoclusters has taken place in the presence of H2O2.
Our work here has paved a new path for the detection of bioanalytes, highlighting the merits of rapid
readout, sensitivity, and user-friendliness.

Figure 10 Visual colorimetric sensing performance of FNFM and their comparative study with AuNC
solution, (a) optical colorimetric response of FNFM upon treatment with 50 μM, 100 μM, 1 mM, and 10
mM H2O2 from left to right, respectively. The color of the FNFM gradually changed to blue upon

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increasing the concentration of H2O2; (b) Time-dependent sensing performance of AuNC solution in the
presence of 100 mM H2O2; photographs were taken at different time periods under UVlight ((λext=366
nm); (c) 100mMH2O2 treated FNFM, color change has occurred within 10 s. The observed quick color
change in the FNFM is comparable to the finding at 60 h in solution phase AuNC. (d) The normalized PL
emission spectra of FNFM (1) and H2O2 treated FNFM with different concentration 50 μM(2), 100 μM(3),
and 1mM(4)

3.3 Gas sensing

Wang et al. have prepared Pd-loaded SnO2 nanofibers via electrospinning, calcination followed by in situ
reduction. The nanofiber gas sensors have been found to have superior characteristics in terms of time and
selectivity compared with thin-film structures of the same materials. By adjusting the Pd-loaded levels,
high sensing performance such as high response, low detection limit (20 ppb), fast response (4–13 s) and
recovery (3–9 s), and high selectivity toward H2 can be obtained at room temperature. Liang et al. prepared
CuO-loaded In2O3 nanofibers as ultrasensitive and ultra-selective H2S sensors via electrospinning the
solution of PVA mixed with both the two metal precursors followed by calcinations [10]. The prepared
CuO-loaded In2O3 nanofibers combine the advantages of high gas accessibility of nanofibrous structures
and the distinctive chemical interaction between CuO and H2S. The loading of CuO on In 2O3 nanofibers
significantly enhanced the gas response toward 5 ppm H2S from 515 to 1.16 × 105 at 150°C and a high
response of 9.17 × 103 (toward 5 ppm H2S) at room temperature. Figure 11 presents the morphology of
various doped ceramic electrospun fibers for application as gas sensors.

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Figure 11: SEM or TEM images of different electrospun metal oxide nanofibers for gas sensing: (A) Pd-
loaded SnO2 fibers for sensing hydrogen; (B) hollow Au/V2O5 fibers for sensing ethanol; (C) Pt-loaded
NiO fibers for sensing ethanol; (D) CuO-loaded In2O3 nanofibers for sensing H2S; (E) SnO2-doped α-
Fe2O3 nanotubes for sensing ethanol and acetone; (F) ZnSnO3 nanoneedle/TiO2 nanofiber heterojunctions
for sensing humidity.

3.4 Explosive DNT sensing

Y. Wang et al. reported interesting low-cost system based on fluorescence electrospun nanofibers for
detection of buried explosives and explosive vapors. In proposed work the detecting material is composed
of electrospun nanofibers mat (thickness 1-15 µm) synthesis by PS doped with pyrene (an organic molecule
showing bright cyan emission under UV excitation. For explosive optical detecting the use of thin fibers is
much effective, since studies on films of conjugated polymers exposed to 2, 4, 6- trinitrotoluene (TNT)
have evidenced that fluorescence quenching shows within first few tens of nm, hence film with thickness
>25nm have shown a drop of the fluorescence quenching, probably related to the limited TNT diffusion.
[11]. The emission of the resultant nanofibers (Pyrene/PS) is characterized by two main bands. The first
band in the range of 370-400 nm has been ascribed to the singlet exciton emission, whereas second, broad
band at about 470 nm has been ascribed to the excimer emission due to possible π-π assembling. When
nanofibers are exposed to equilibrium vapors (about 193 ppb) of 2,4- DNT, a 90% quenching of the
fluorescence is obtained within 6 mins, with a slight dependence on the electropun nanofibers mat thickness.
Remarkably, this material can detect other nitroaromatic compounds (like 2,6- DNT and 1,2-

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dinitrobenzene), as well as non-saturated vapors of nitramines and nitrate esters. The authors have also
explained the possibility to detect buried 2,4- DNT (Figure 4 a-d) in an open environment, and explosive
particulate polluted handprint via direct interaction (Figure 4 e). The overall, sensing performance of this
simple and economical detection material are ascribed to an amplification of the quenching mechanism,
due to the specific conformation of the pyrene molecule and the PS.

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Figure 12 (a-d) detection of buried 2,4- DNT using electropsun PS nanofibers doped with pyrene. (a-b)
images of soil with (left) and without (right) buried 2,4- DNT in Petri dishes (a) and of soil with buried
DNT in a flower pot (b) respectively. (c) image of fluorescence of the sensing system after 30 min exposure
to buried DNT, prominence emission quenching due to the leaked explosive molecules from the buried
sample. The fluorescence is excited by UV light with λ¼ 275 nm. (d) Image gained from the PS nanofibers
mat doped pyrene sensing material on 2,4- DNT buried in flower pot (b) after 30 min exposure. Inserts in
(c) and (d) are the bright-field images of the nanofibers samples after exposure. (e) Example of detection
of explosive-contaminated hand using the electropsun PS nanofibers doped with pyrene material. The
images display the UV-excited fluorescence of pyrene/PS mat, after the contact with a spotless (left) and
contaminated (right) handprint respectively.

4 Summary and Future Direction

To sum up, as discussed throughout this review, the unique features of electrospun nanofibers facilitated
good advancements in the designing and development of colorimetric sensor platforms for the effective
detection of toxic environment pollutants. Accordingly, several probes have been functionalized in different
varieties of electrospun nanofibers through direct incorporation and surface decoration approaches to invent
colorimetric sensors with competitive performances. However, comparatively few efforts were made in
embracing electrospun nanofibers for the colorimetric detection of toxic environment pollutants are
compared to the solution state. Moreover, the majority of the investigations focused on heavy metal ion
detection, and huge challenges remain for the detection of multiple toxic metal ions using electrospun
nanofiber-based sensor strip arrays. Therefore, concrete future efforts are needed for coupling the beneficial
features of electrospinning and functional probes to develop electrospun nanofiber-based colorimetric
sensors intended for real-time, on-site practical applications.

Student Name: Abro Mujahid Mehdi

Student ID: 20177215005
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Student Name: Abro Mujahid Mehdi

Student ID: 20177215005
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Student Name: Abro Mujahid Mehdi

Student ID: 20177215005