Structurally modified poly(methyl methacrylate) electrospun nanofibers as better host matrix for noble metal nanoparticles

Abstract

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanofibers are proved as good host matrix for various nanomaterials. Here, the possibilities offered by the process of electrospinning are exploited for the production of pure and structurally modified surface roughened and coaxial hollow PMMA electrospun nanofibers with unique advantages and surface characteristics, which is proved through various structural analyses. The host matrix nature of these pure and structurally modified surface roughened and coaxial hollow PMMA nanofibers to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are proved through different structural and morphological analyses. The host matrix nature of pure and structurally modified surface roughened and coaxial hollow PMMA nanofibers to AuNPs are compared with that of pure PMMA nanofibers by comparing their structural and optical properties. It is found here that, the surface roughened PMMA nanofibers act as better host matrix with more uniform distribution of particles and intensity enhancement than the pure and coaxial hollow PMMA nanofibers. Pure and coaxial hollow PMMA nanofibers show almost two times enhancement in intensity while the surface roughened PMMA nanofibers show almost five times enhancement in intensity after incorporating AuNPs. The host matrix nature of PMMA nanofibers is thus proved to be improved by making structural modifications on PMMA nanofibers in a simple and cost‐effective way. This makes them more suitable and adaptable in their applications. This superior property of surface roughened PMMA nanofibers over pure PMMA nanofibers can be used in all the application fields of PMMA nanofibers like optical works, catalytically supporting agents, antibacterial supporting systems and so on.

Structurally modified electrospun poly(methyl methacrylate) nanofibers as advanced host matrices for PbS quantum dots

“…FTIR spectra of the pure and structurally modified PMMA electrospun nanofibers and those incorporated with PbS quantum dots are shown in Figure 1. The FTIR peak assignments of pure, surface roughened and coaxial hollow PMMA nanofibers are given in previously published paper 33,36 and those incorporated with PbS quantum dots are given in Table 2.…”

“…XRD spectra of pure PMMA nanofibers, surface roughened PMMA nanofibers, coaxial hollow PMMA nanofibers and these nanofibers incorporated with PbS quantum dots are given in Figure 2. The XRD peaks of pure PMMA nanofibers, surface roughened PMMA nanofibers and coaxial hollow PMMA nanofibers are described in detail in the previously published paper 33,36 . Figure 2 that the XRD spectra of the pure and structurally modified PMMA nanofibers show significant changes after incorporating PbS quantum dots to them.…”

“…Figure 2(b) shows that the XRD spectrum contains all the peaks of PMMA and PbS quantum dots where the angles are obtained at 25.7 , 30 , 43.17 , 50.84 , 62.04 , 69.3 , and 77.56 . 14,33,36,41 Surface roughened PMMA nanofibers incorporated with PbS quantum dots show XRD peaks at 26.06 , 29.78 , 42.78 , 50.63 , 61.43 , 70.29 , and 78.14 14,33,36,41 as shown in Figure 2 14,33,36,41 The XRD analysis of the PMMA nanofibers incorporated with PbS quantum dots show that the peaks of both PMMA and PbS quantum dots are present in all the samples and thus it supports the FTIR results of the samples described in the previous section. The sharp XRD peaks of crystalline PbS quantum dots are described in different literatures.…”

“…The fiber diameter distribution diagrams of the pure and structurally modified PMMA nanofibers are described in detail in previously published papers. 33,36 Pure PMMA nanofibers are 60-150 nm diameter range while that incorporated with PbS quantum dots are 100-200 nm diameters and the histogram is much broadened. The surface roughened PMMA nanofibers are 80-120 nm diameters while that incorporated with PbS quantum dots have 125-225 nm diameters.…”

“…Our recently published paper 36 focus on the host matrix nature of pure, surface roughened and coaxial hollow electrospun PMMA nanofibers to gold nanoparticles. There studies and analyses proved that the pure and structurally modified electrospun PMMA nanofibers can host gold nanoparticles where the structurally modified forms are better than the pure PMMA electrospun nanofibers.…”