Electrospinning of nanocomposite fibers and their applications

Electrospinning is a process that utilizes a very high electric field to draw nanosized fiber from a polymer solution. By addition of different nanofillers, functional nanocomposite fibers can be spun with specific desired functionality.; Polvacrvlonitrite (PAN) based nanocomposite fibers with several different nanoparticles, such as iron oxide, graphite nanoplatelet, and zinc oxide, have been spun. These fibers were characterized with SEM (Scanning Electronic Microscope), AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Apparatus). The electrospun nanocomposite fiber mats were found to have low dielectric constants because of high porosity. Their use as a gas sensor with FTIR was demonstrated for CO2 gas.