Effect of Antimicrobial Metal Oxides on Molecular Arrangement and Sensing Ability of Polydiacetylene/Polyvinylidene Fluoride Nanofibers

ABSTRACT Traditional methods of bacteria detection such as colony counting and polymerase chain reaction are time consuming and require complex laboratory instruments and handling. Polydiacetylenes (PDAs) provide ease of fabrication and hold potential to be used in food packaging applications to detect the presence of certain pathogens. This study explores the influence of metal oxide nanoparticles on the thermochromic properties and bacterial sensing capabilities of PDA‐based fibers. 10,12 tricosadiynoic acid (TCDA)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composite fibers are produced using the forcespinning technique with the incorporation of copper oxide (CuO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NP). The fibers are characterized using X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV/visible spectroscopy (UV/Vis). The TCDA molecules are observed to assemble into sheetlike structures encapsulating the PVDF beads. The metal ions (Cu 2+ and Zn 2+ ) released from the NPs are found to form chelates with the carboxylate ion (COO − ) in TCDA. The addition of ZnO improves the stability of the TCDA backbone against temperature, making it resistant to color changes at elevated temperatures. The addition of CuO and ZnO in moderate amounts improves the detection ability of the fibers towards Escherichia coli . The inclusion of TCDA and NPs also increases the β ‐phase content in PVDF.