Authors : N. Sepehrian, M. Abbasi and M. Noori
Abstract: In this study, Electrospinning and producing composite nanofibers of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) Silica nano-Fibers (SiO2) were studied. The effect of concentrations of silica nanoparticles, concentration of PVA auxiliary polymer, calcining process temperature and duration of this process on the formation of composite silica nanofibers was examined. The morphology and structure of nanofibers produced were investigated by using light microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Composite nanofibers with 6, 8, 10 and 12 weight percent of PVA auxiliary polymer along with silica nanoparticles of 50.70, 90 and 100 weight percent of the auxiliary polymer were produced. Given that the PVA destroys at temperatures>494°C, nanofibers were calcined at three temperatures of 500, 700 and 900°C for 3 h. The results showed that the composite nanofibers with initial concentration of 10 weight percent of the PVA auxiliary polymer and Silica nanoparticles of 90 weight percent of the auxiliary and calcined polymer at 700°C produce the best silica nanofibres. To evaluate the effect of calcining process duration, nanofibers were placed in the furnace for 7 h. Increasing the process duration reduced the crystallinity of nanofibers and nanoparticles loss.
N. Sepehrian, M. Abbasi and M. Noori, 2016. Formation of Silica Nano-Fibers and Innovation During the Calcining Process. Research Journal of Applied Sciences, 11: 1632-1641.