A homogeneous porous Co 3 O 4 -ZnO nanomaterial (Zn-CoO x ) was successfully fabricated by precipitation-annealing route. The as-prepared Zn-CoO x exhibited good response, reliable reversibility and good selectivity towards alcohols, which attributed to the porous structure and p-n heterojunction formed between Co 3 O 4 and ZnO. In particular, the different Fermi levels of Co 3 O 4 and ZnO leaded to a further increase the depth of the space charge layer, which improved the gas sensitivity of the material from 10% to 480%. Besides, the continuous Co 3 O 4 leaded to a relatively lower operating temperature and resistance. This material preparation method and bimetallic oxides could be widely used in the research and development of metal oxide gas sensitive materials and sensors.
Herein, crack-free photonic crystal templates with enhanced color contrast were first demonstrated by the coassembly of polystyrene (PS) microspheres and graphene oxide (GO). Then, photonic crystal hydrogels (PCHs) with quick responses to temperature and alcohol solution concentration changes were fabricated by photopolymerization of monomers in the gaps of the self-assembled colloidal crystal templates. The structural color of the PCHs changed from yellow to blue within 120 s as the temperature rose from 25 to 40 °C, whereas upon a decrease in temperature from 40 to 25 °C, the structural color changed from blue to yellow. The structural color of the PCHs also shows an obvious response with the concentration of alcohol solution ranging from 40 to 100 wt %. The quick responses of the PCHs’ structural color to changes in temperature and alcohol solution concentration are attributed to the temperature sensitivity of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and preferential adsorption and swelling of the alcohol solution for the polymer chains. Furthermore, moxifloxacin (Mox) was loaded into PCHs by hydrogel swelling and exhibited sustained released by increasing the temperature. The sustained release process was facilely monitored by observing the corresponding color changes in real time. The rapid and visible response offers the fabricated PCHs great potential application prospects in the semiquantitative analysis of alcohol concentration and intelligent drug delivery.
A naked-eye detector based on a rapid transmittance response to alcohol was designed to offer real-time and reusable detection of fruit freshness. To ensure the hydrophobicity of the fibrous membrane and high light transmission response to alcohol, fluorine-rich poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) with a low refractive index was selected as the shell layer, while sodium alginate (SA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were selected as the core layer for coaxial electrospinning. The core–shell fibrous detector was obtained by treatment with CaCl2 to form a stable hydrogel and by water flushing to remove PVA. The interior structure of the fiber and its evolution were investigated with increasing SA concentration, which changed from a nonconcentric structure to a core–shell structure. Without SA, nonconcentric structured fibers were obtained due to high flowability and incompatibility between the organic solvent phase of PVDF-HFP and the aqueous phase of PVA. As the SA concentration increased, the enhanced viscosity and surface tension decreased the asymmetric mobility significantly, which competed with the charge attractive forces from the Taylor cone surface, leading to a core–shell structure. The as-spun membranes were opaque due to light scattering at the interface between air and fiber and became light transparent after immersion in a rotten fruit-containing alcohol and acetic acid due to a decreased light loss. The rapidly responsive, reusable fibrous membranes with over 90% light transparency developed here have high potential for application in visual intelligent packaging to monitor the freshness of fruits and vegetables.