Polymeric nanofiber composites with aligned ZnO nanorods

ZnO nanorods with high aspect ratio were synthesized and were dispersed in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)–water, PVA–water-N,N-dimethylforamide (DMF) and poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN)–DMF systems. These mixtures were electrospun to understand their spinning behaviour. It was found that only PAN–DMF system could result in formation of nanofiber composites reinforced with aligned ZnO rods. PAN nanofibers reinforced with ZnO rods up to 50 wt% on the weight of polymer could be readily electrospun. The presence of aligned ZnO rods inside PAN nanofibers was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning/transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Raman analysis revealed that such reinforced nanocomposites are enabled only when ZnO rods could interact with both the dispersant as well as the polymer. Both random and aligned ZnO–PAN reinforced nanofibers could be successfully produced to suit different applications.