Effect of TiO^sub 2^ Content and Process Parameters on Electrospun Poly(acrylonitrile)/TiO^sub 2^ Nanofibres

Poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) nanofibres containing variable amounts of titanium dioxide (TiO^sub 2^) were successfully electrospun under different conditions to find optimum electro spinning conditions and to investigate the effects of TiO^sub 2^ content and electrospinning parameters on the morphologies and thermal properties of PAN/TiO^sub 2^ nanofibres. Various amounts of TiO^sub 2^ were dispersed separately into PAN solutions. N, N'-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/TiO^sub 2^ mixing ratio. The PAN/TiO^sub 2^ nanofibres containing different amounts of TiO^sub 2^ were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results showed TiO^sub 2^ content and electrospinning parameters have direct influence on the morphologies of PAN/TiO^sub 2^ nanofibres. Moreover, the addition of TiO^sub 2^ significantly improved the thermal stability of the PAN nanofibres.