Electrospinning of Fluorescent Fibers from CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dots in Cellulose Triacetate

Fluorescent cellulose triacetate (CTA) fibers were prepared by electrospinning solutions of CTA dissolved in an 8 : 2 v/v cosolvent system of methylene chloride (MC) and methanol (MeOH) which contained CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs). The relatively low loading of colloidal nanoparticles was sufficient to impart fluorescence to the fibers but did not significantly alter fiber morphologies, which tended toward smooth surfaces with the occasional longitudinal feature. The fibers were birefringent due to the alignment of the polymer chains which occurred during electrospinning and had widths on the order of a hundred nanometers. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 119: 803-810, 2011