A nanobursa mesh: a graded electrospun nanofiber mesh with metal nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes

Nanoporous nanocomposite membranes via hybrid twin-screw extrusion-multijet electrospinning

Non-woven nanoporous membranes of poly(caprolactone), PCL, incorporated with multi-walled carbon nanotubes, CNTs, could be fabricated via an industrially-scalable hybrid twin screw extrusion and electrospinning process. The utilization of a spinneret with multiple nozzles allowed the increase of the flow rate beyond what is possible with conventional electrospinning using a single nozzle, albeit at the expense of difficulties in the control of the thickness distributions of the nanofibrous membranes. The thickness and orientation distributions and the resulting mechanical properties of the membranes could be modified via changes in voltage, angular velocity of the collector mandrel and separation distance of the collector from the spinneret. The increases in crystallinity due to the presence of the CNTs and the preferential alignment of the nanofibers via rotation of the collecting mandrel led to increases in the tensile properties of the nanoporous membranes. The use of poly(ethylene oxide), PEO, together with PCL, followed by the dissolution of the PEO, rendered the nanofibers themselves nanoporous with typical surface porosity values of around 50% and pore sizes of about 220 nm. The demonstrated versatility of the hybrid twin screw extrusion and electrospinning process and the manipulation of mesh dimensions and properties are indicative of the applicability of the hybrid process for fabrication of nanoporous membranes for myriad diverse industrial applications ranging from water treatment to tissue engineering applications.

Synergetic catalytic effect of Cu2-xSe nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide coembedded in electrospun nanofibers for the reduction of a typical refractory organic compound

A new heterogeneous catalytic composite composed of nonstoichiometric Cu2-xSe nanoparticles (NPs) with high copper deficiency and graphene oxide (GO) is prepared by coembedding in electrospun nanofibers of a poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) support, wherein GO in the nanofibers is converted into reduced GO (rGO) via heat treatment. The as-prepared composite Cu2-xSe/rGO/PVP nanofibers have demonstrated superior catalytic activity toward the reduction of a refractory organic compound by taking 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as an example. In the presence of NaBH4, the Cu2-xSe/rGO/PVP nanofibers display a synergetic effect between Cu2-xSe and rGO in PVP nanofibers compared to their independent components or corresponding nanofibers. Furthermore, the Cu2-xSe/rGO/PVP nanofibers exhibit a favorable water-stable property via heat treatment to solidify the hydrophilic PVP matrix, which makes the composite display good reusability, stability in aqueous solution, and separability from a water medium. This work not only presents a direct, convenient, and effective approach to doping semiconductor nanomaterials into polymer nanofibers but also provides fundamental routes for further investigations about the synergetic effect between different materials based on the platform of electrospun nanofibers.

Preparation of Rh–SiO2 fiber catalyst with superior activity and reusability by electrospinning

Rh–SiO₂ fiber catalyst prepared by electrospinning for room temperature hydrogenation of alkenes with superior catalytic activity and reusability.