Metal oxide-coated polymer nanofibers

We report the fabrication of novel metal oxide-coated polymeric nanofibers using the electrospinning technique. Polyacrylonitrile fibers were electrospun into a nonwoven fiber membrane. The membranes were subsequently immersed in an aqueous solution of metal halide salts and halogen scavengers at room temperature to apply the metal oxide coating. Tin dioxide and titanium dioxide were both successfully coated by this method. Coated fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Glass slides were coated with metal oxides by the same technique and were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to determine the metal oxide surface composition. Fiber diameters were on the order of 100 nm, and the observed coating thickness ranged from about 20 to 80 nm.