Electrospun composite fiber for liquefied petroleum gas sensing

Abstract

Advancement in the volume of waste generated from polymers demands innovation on its’ management and re-use strategy. In this study, advance materials technique was used for polymeric wastes management, namely expanded polystyrene (EPS), discarded compact discs (polycarbonate (PC), these were electrospun with polyaniline (PANI) and zinc oxide (ZnO) to produce fibrous scaffolds. The fibrous scaffolds were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometer (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometer and Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA). Due to it Ohmic property, resistivity sensing potential was explored for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). The fibre exhibited high sensitivity and short response time towards LPG at room temperature. This work presents a sustainable, affordable and effective pathway for re-using polymeric wastes as potential resistivity gas sensor.