Fabrication of High-Strength Aligned Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes/ Polyvinyl Alcohol Composite Nanofibers by Electrospinning

Abstract

High-strength uniaxially-aligned electrospun nanofibers were prepared from PVA reinforced by modified hydrophilic multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). In order to get a homogeneous spinning solution, a one-step process using ammonium persulfate (APS) as oxidant was employed to fabricate water-soluble MWCNTs, and then they were dispersed in a 10 wt% PVA aqueous solution. We utilized this macroscopically homogeneous dispersion to produce nanofibers mat by electrospinning with an ultra-high-speed rotating cylinder as a collector. SEM image shows that the aligned degree of the fibers increases along with the increase in rotating speed. When the speed is up to 2000 rpm, the electrospun nanofibers are nearly uniaxially aligned. The tensile test results suggest that a small amount of MWCNTs dramatically enhanced the tensile strength of PVA fibers.