Summary: An electrospun nonwoven fabric of a cationic polysaccharide, chitosan, was successfully prepared. The present study focuses on the effect of the electrospinning solvent and the chitosan concentration on the morphology of the resulting nonwoven fabrics. The solvents tested were dilute hydrochloric acid, acetic acid, neat formic acid and trifluoroacetic acid. As the chitosan concentration was increased, the morphology of the deposition on the collector changed from spherical beads to interconnected fibrous networks. The addition of dichloromethane to the chitosan‐TFA solution improved the homogeneity of the electrospun chitosan fiber. Under optimized conditions, homogenous (not interconnected) chitosan fibers with a mean diameter of 330 nm were prepared.Effects of the coexisting dichloromethane (MC) in the prespun chitosan‐TFA solution on the morphology of the electrospun chitosan fibers. The volume ratio of TFA:MC was 70:30 (×5 000).magnified imageEffects of the coexisting dichloromethane (MC) in the prespun chitosan‐TFA solution on the morphology of the electrospun chitosan fibers. The volume ratio of TFA:MC was 70:30 (×5 000).

The synthesis of luminescent and biocompatible carbon quantum dots is demonstrated from cabbage, a new carbonaceous biomaterial, for bio-imaging.

Alumina-borate/PVA composite fibres were prepared using sol–gel processing and an electrospinning technique. After calcination of the thin fibres, ultra-fine fibres of alumina-borate oxide with a diameter of about 550 nm could be prepared. The fibres were characterized by SEM, XRD and FT-IR. The results showed that the crystalline phase and morphology of alumina-borate fibres were largely influenced by the calcination temperature.

Nanofibres of TiO2–SiO2  (Ti:Si = 50: 50 mol%) with diameters of 50–400 nm were prepared by calcining electrospun nanofibres of polyvinyl acetate (PVac)/titania–silica composite as precursor. These PVac/titania–silica hybrid nanofibres were obtained from a homogenous solution of PVac with a sol–gel of titanium isopropoxide (TiP) and tetraethoxysilane by using the electrospinning technique. The nanofibres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wide-angle x-ray diffraction (WAXD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area. SEM, WAXD and FTIR results indicated that the morphology and crystalline phase of TiO2–SiO2 nanofibres were strongly influenced by the calcination temperature and the content of titania and silica in the nanofibres. Additionally, the BET results showed that the surface area of TiO2–SiO2 nanofibres was decreased with increasing calcination temperature and the content of titania and silica in nanofibres.