Controllable Preparation of Hollow Structured Fluorescent Sensor for Improving the Sensitivity and Stability of Glutathione Detection

ABSTRACT Glutathione is an important biomarker for human health. How to effectively detect glutathione has attracted much attention in the field of biomedical sciences. The purpose of this study is to develop a convenient and stable method for detecting glutathione. Here, the fluorescent fiber sensor with a hollow structure was used as a technology strategy. Through adjusting the solvent ratio of the spinning solution and components of the skin‐core structure during wet spinning, significant improvements were observed in photoluminescence and hydrophilicity. The uniform skin layer of p‐terphenyl copolymer enhanced the fluorescence emission intensity of the fiber sensor by 52%. Meanwhile, the hydrophilic core layer of polyvinyl alcohol made the water contact angle of the hollow fibers reduce from 109.8° to 60.1°. This sensor was used for glutathione detection, and its results showed that the limit of detection could reach 0.018 μg/mL at 288 K. In addition, the fiber sensor can be reused 5 times via ultrasonic cleaning. The improvements in the sensitivity and stability of the sensor are attributed to the increased fluorescence response and capture ability of the hollow fiber toward the target. This work can serve as an important reference for the material, strategy, and application of the sensor on glutathione detection.