Facile Fabrication of CO2-Responsive Nanofibers from Photo-Cross-Linked Poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate) Nanofibers

CO2-responsive nanofibers were facilely prepared from photo-cross-linked poly(pentafluorophenyl acrylate) (PPFPA) nanofibers via amine-active ester chemical modification. Photo-cross-linked PPFPA nanofibers were modified with histamine under mild conditions to generate cross-linked poly(histamine acrylamide) (PHAAA) nanofibers featuring a CO2 responsiveness. As expected, the prepared crosslinked PHAAA nanofibers can exhibit a CO2-responsive behavior to induce a reversible transition from hydrophobic to hydrophilic upon alternating addition and removal of CO2 on the surface of nanofibrous membranes. Based on this finding, we could demonstrate that cross-linked PHAAA nanofibers can be employed for reversible absorption and release of protein using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model.