PVA Nanofibers Embedded with Different Concentration of ZnO Prepared by Electrospinning Method

Abstract

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibers were fabricated using the electrospinning method. The nanofibers were embedded with zinc oxide (ZnO) particles by mixing PVA liquid with the ZnO powders during the solution preparation stage. The FESEM images showed an increase in the amount of ZnO particles embedded in the PVA nanofibers as the powder content was increased. Other than that, there are no significant changes in other physical properties of the nanofibers caused by the increasing number of ZnO particle content. This means that ZnO nanopowders (with concentration in the range of 1.63 wt% - 8.14 wt%) can be effectively integrated and embedded into PVA nanofibers without negative consequences on the fibers formation and structure. This will facilitate the fabrication of ZnO embedded PVA nanofibers in some applications that may require it such as drug delivery, filtration, and biomedical application.