Composite nanofibers produced by modified needleless electrospinning

A needleless electrospinning method was used to prepare poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibers with a content of single walled (SWCNTs) and multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The needleless process of electrospinning from free surface of polymeric solution requires perfect solutions of polymers and additives (carbon nanotubes in the case). The solutions were prepared by sonication method and by usage of surface modified carbon nanotubes. The presence of carbon nanotubes inside the electrospun nanofibrous materials were proved by means of Raman spectroscopy. This process example can be modified for other polymer solutions to produce nanocomposite fibrous structures by electrospinning in mass scale. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.