Application of Electrospun Polyvinyl Alcohol/Sodium Alginate Nanofibers as Biosensor

Abstract The determination of glycine is considered crucial for various biological functions and systems. So, this study presents nanofibers as a biosensor for glycine, utilizing the electrospinning method to prepare nanofibers with specific diameters. The sodium alginate (Na Alg) extracellular matrix was added to a Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) solution, resulting in a homogeneous, bead-free electrospun PVA/Na Alg nanofiber membrane. The combination of PVA and Na Alg solutions was optimized to achieve the optimal composition and electrospinning settings, forming homogeneous and bead-free PVA/Na Alg nanofiber architectures. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) is utilized to analyze the chemical composition of PVA or PVA/NaAlg. The influence of ferric chloride (FeCl 2 ) and glycerin on the morphological, structural, and optical attributes of PVA and PVA/NaAlg nanofibers was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images demonstrated the successful synthesis of nanofibers with diameters ranging from 120 to 400 nm. The XRD results validated the semicrystalline characteristics of the obtained nanofibers. Optical examination indicated that the synthesized nanofibers transitioned from ultraviolet-transparent to blocking materials due to their electrospinnability. The optical band gap demonstrated an increase in the material's conductivity, suggesting that PVA/Na Alg/Gly nanofibers could be employed as biosensors for glycine amino acids.