Effect of TiO₂ content and process parameters on electrospun poly(acrylonitrile)/TiO₂ nanofibres

Poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) nanofibres containing variable amounts of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) were successfully electrospun under different conditions to find optimum electrospinning conditions and to investigate the effects of TiO₂ content and electrospinning parameters on the morphologies and thermal properties of PAN/TiO₂ nanofibres. Various amounts of TiO₂ were dispersed separately into PAN solutions. N, Ń-dimethyl formamide (DMF) was used as a solvent. Electrospinning parameters such as applied voltage and tip to collector distance (TCD) were varied at a fixed PAN/TiO₂ mixing ratio. The PAN/TiO₂ nanofibres containing different amounts of TiO₂ were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed TiO₂ content and electrospinning parameters have direct influence on the morphologies of PAN/TiO₂ nanofibres. Moreover, the addition of TiO₂ significantly improved the thermal stability of the PAN nanofibres.