title: Aligned PVDF-TrFE nanofibers with high-density PVDF nanofibers and PVDF core–shell structures for endovascular pressure sensing.
abstract: Nanostructures of polyvinyledenedifluoride-tetrafluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE), a semicrystalline polymer with high piezoelectricity, results in significant enhancement of crystallinity and better device performance as sensors, actuators, and energy harvesters. Using electrospinning of PVDF to manufacture nanofibers, we demonstrate a new method to pattern high-density, highly aligned nanofibers. To further boost the charge transfer from such a bundle of nanofibers, we fabricated novel core-shell structures. Finally, we developed pressure sensors utilizing these fiber structures for endovascular applications. The sensors were tested in vitro under simulated physiological conditions. We observed significant improvements using core-shell electrospun fibers (4.5 times gain in signal intensity, 4000 μV/mmHg sensitivity) over PVDF nanofibers (280 μV/mmHg). The preliminary results showed that core-shell fiber-based devices exhibit nearly 40-fold higher sensitivity, compared to the thin-film structures demonstrated earlier.
authors.forename: Tushar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Sahil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naik
authors.forename: Jewel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Langevine
authors.forename: Brijesh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: John X J
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000502:physiology*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D055617:Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008904:Miniaturization; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D058608:Nanopores / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010316:Particle Size; D011145:Polyvinyls / Q000737:chemistry*; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D062666:Vascular Access Devices
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011145:Polyvinyls; C073666:vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene copolymer