Fabrication and characterization of PAN/CNT, PAN/TiO2, and PAN/CNT/TiO2 nanofibers for UV protection properties

Abstract

The exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) can contribute to pigmentation, erythemas, early aging, and skin cancer. The purpose of this paper was to fabricate the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers associated with the ultraviolet protection property using various concentrations of MWCNT and TiO2 nanoparticles. The nanofibers were fabricated by the electrospinning technique. The electrospinning nanofibers were characterized by SEM microscopy and FTIR spectrophotometer. The UV protection property of membranes was studied by UV transmittance measurement and UV protection factor (UPF) calculation. The FTIR study of nanofibers showed the successful fabrication of PAN/MWCNT, PAN/TiO2, and PAN/MWCNT/TiO2 nanocomposites. According to SEM images, nanoparticle concentration influences the nanofiber diameter. The results showed that the load of nanoparticles increases UV protection compared to pure PAN nanofibers, in which the MWCNT-coated webs have better performance than TiO2 coated samples. However, the PAN/MWCNT/TiO2 composites provide the best protection and are classified as excellent protection at all concentrations.