Optimized Loading of TiO₂ Nanoparticles into Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile and Cellulose Acetate Polymer Fibers

Abstract

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN), cellulose acetate (CA), PAN-TiO2, and CA-TiO2 nanofibers were prepared using the electrospinning technique under varying the loading of the TiO2 nanoparticles. The latter TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared using the sol-gel method by varying the calcination temperatures. The absorption and emission spectra illustrated the formation of TiO2 nanoparticles with an increase in absorption band edges with smaller particles. The TEM results showed the spherical morphology of the nanoparticles calcined at 500°C with an average diameter of 12.2±3.3 nm. XRD analysis revealed anatase phase as the dominant crystalline phase of the nanoparticles. TiO2 nanoparticle loadings of 0.2 and 0.4 wt% were incorporated into 16 wt% CA solutions while 1, 2, and 3 wt% of TiO2 nanoparticles were incorporated into 10 wt% PAN solutions. The SEM results illustrated the lowering in diameter and morphology of the nanofibers upon incorporation of nanoparticles. Their respective average diameters are 220, 338, 181, and 250 nm for PAN, CA, PAN-TiO2, and CA-TiO2 polymer fibers, respectively. The morphology of the nanofibers improved while the diameter increased with an increase in polymer concentration. Different loadings of TiO2 nanoparticles improved the electrospinnability and morphology and further decreased the size of the nanofibers. FTIR spectroscopy signifies the formation of nanocomposites and the presence of TiO2 nanoparticles which corresponded to the Ti-O stretching and Ti-O-Ti bands on the FTIR spectra.

Enhanced voltage response in TiO2 nanoparticle-embedded piezoelectric nanogenerator

“…Figures 2(e) and (f) show the bright-field TEM micrograph and the corresponding particle size distribution histogram, respectively. TiO 2 NPs had a mean diameter of 32.25 nm, possessing its anticipated spherical geometry [56].…”

Doping impacts of La2O3 on physical, structural, optical and radiation shielding properties of (30-x)BaCO3–30TiO2–40SiO2-xLa2O3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 6) glasses for optoelectronic applications

“…These peaks are not present in BTS4L and BTS6L glass samples as shown in figure 4 and the reason for this may be the broken Si-O-Si bond due to the incorporation of La 2 O 3 concentration. Two weak intensity peaks in the region from 550 to 650 cm −1 are presented in all glass samples with major contributions of Ti-O-Ti bridging and Ti-O stretching vibrations [54][55][56][57]. A broad intensity peak at 1020 cm −1 is observed in BTS0L glass as shown in figure 4, which corresponds to Si-O-Si stretching vibrations, this peak was present in all glass samples and is blue shifted on increasing the doping of La 2 O 3 [58].…”

UV-Protective, Self-Cleaning, and Antibacterial Nanofiber-Based Triboelectric Nanogenerators for Self-Powered Human Motion Monitoring

“…12,13 In addition, UV shielding attracts increasing attention since UV radiation will cause severe health hazards to human skin, such as skin aging and skin cancer. 13,14 However, the traditional wearable materials are usually made of transparent 15 and soft polymers, 16 which have inferior UV resistance. 17 Another vital issue is that wearable electronics call for theoretically inexhaustible, easily accessible, and ecologically sustainable power supply systems.…”

“…These pollutions will affect artistic appearance and even destroy the original performance. Therefore, self-cleaning property is vital in practical conditions to extend the lifespan and improve working stability. , In addition, UV shielding attracts increasing attention since UV radiation will cause severe health hazards to human skin, such as skin aging and skin cancer. , However, the traditional wearable materials are usually made of transparent and soft polymers, which have inferior UV resistance . Another vital issue is that wearable electronics call for theoretically inexhaustible, easily accessible, and ecologically sustainable power supply systems. − A potential solution is to offer a wearable device with low-cost, light-weight, highly flexible, and conformal energy-harvesting ability. , Triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is selected to be one of the most promising power solutions because of its wide range of material selections , and high energy conversion efficiency, which can operate wearable electronics without the limitation of weather and working environment. − …”