In Situ Vapor Polymerization of Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) Coated SnO(2)-Fe(2)O(3) Continuous Electrospun Nanotubes for Rapid Detection of Iodide Ions

In this work poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) coated SnO(2)-Fe(2)O(3) continuous nanotubes with a uniform core–shell structure have been demonstrated for rapid sensitive detection of iodide ions. The SnO(2)-Fe(2)O(3) nanotubes were firstly fabricated via an electrospinning technique and following calcination process. An in situ polymerization approach was then performed to coat a uniform PEDOT shell on the surface of as-prepared SnO(2)-Fe(2)O(3) nanotubes by vapor phase polymerization, using Fe(2)O(3) on the surface of nanotubes as an oxidant in an acidic condition. The resultant PEDOT@SnO(2)-Fe(2)O(3) core-shell nanotubes exhibit a fast response time (~4 s) toward iodide ion detection and a linear current response ranging from 10 to 100 μM, with a detection limit of 1.5 μM and sensitivity of 70 μA/mM/cm(2). The facile fabrication process and high sensing performance of this study can promote a wide range of potential applications in human health monitoring and biosensing systems.