Electrospun conductive gold covered polycaprolactone fibers as electrochemical sensors for O2 monitoring in cell culture media

Abstract

This work reports the use of electrospun conductive gold covered polycaprolactone fibers for the quantification of dissolved O2. The morphologies of the electrospun fibers obtained at a static and a dynamic drum collector were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The reduction process of O2 at negative potentials is analyzed by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in sodium phosphate buffer (NaPB) pH 7.0 and in cellular media pH 7.4. The electrochemical sensing performance of Au/PCL towards O2 quantification in NaPB and cellular media is compared by using three electrochemical techniques: cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry and EIS. Measurements are done in a two electrode configuration, using a silver wire as reference, to show the applicability of the method for O2 quantification in cellular culture media. Keywords: Electrospun fibers, Polycaprolactone, Oxygen sensor, Cellular media