Preparation and Structures of Carbon-Copper Oxide Nanofibers from Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Composite

Abstract

Carbon-copper oxide nanofibers have been prepared by heat treatment of polyacrylonitrile-copper salt nanofibers. In this study, fabrication of PAN-copper salt using two different methods - firstly, synthesis of PAN-copper salt solution using electrospinning (PAN-CuAc NF), and secondly, immersion of electrospun PAN nanofiber in the copper salt solution (PAN-c-CuAc NF). Those ways had a distinct effect on the structure of carbon-copper oxide nanofibers. The morphologies and structures of carbon-copper oxide nanofibers were observed by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), infrared spectroscopy (IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The SEM image showed a randomly oriented nanofiber structure without bead formation, which average diameter of the nanofiber decreased with increasing process temperature. IR spectra and XRD patterns confirmed the formation of aromatic structures and graphite-like structures on carbon-copper oxide nanofiber. The Raman spectrum revealed that the intensity ratio (ID/IG) of carbonized nanofibers showed different values when the electrospun PAN composite nanofibers were synthesized using a different method, 1.59 for electrospun PAN nanofibers (CNF), 1.92 for carbonized PAN- CuAc nanofibers (C-copper oxide NF), and 0.60 for carbonized PAN-c-CuAc nanofibers (C-c-copper oxide NF).The presence of Cu element has been successfully detected in carbon-copper oxide nanofibers using EDX analysis.