A nanoporous poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) wire was prepared by electrospinning under high humidity and attached between two prongs of a microfabricated quartz tuning fork (QTF). Exposure of the QTF to ethanol vapor caused a frequency shift due to a decrease in the modulus of the PMMA wire, and the frequency change increased as the concentration of ethanol vapor increased. The nanoporous wire-coated QTF exhibited higher sensitivity and faster response time than a plain wire-coated QTF, which was attributed to the high surface area and pore networks facilitating the transport of ethanol molecules inside the PMMA wire.
Keywords: electrospinning; gas sensor; microresonators; porous wire; quartz tuning fork.