Preparation of poly(vinyl alcohol) core/sheath micro/nano composite fibers containing silver nanowires

Abstract

Micro/nano composite fibers with single microfibers as cores and nanofibers as sheaths, were successfully prepared by combining wet spinning with electrospinning. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution doped with silver nanowires (AgNWs) was wet spun to prepare PVA/AgNWs microfibers, and they were then functioned as the grounded collector during electrospinning process, on which nanofibers were deposited under the effect of electric field force to form a core/sheath structure. The PVA/AgNWs microfibers were part of the electrospinning device, as well as a component of the micro/nano composite fibers at the same time. The addition of a small amount of AgNWs increased the electrical conductivity of the core fibers, and led to the uniformly distributed nanofiber sheaths around the cores. The thickness of the nanofiber sheaths was controlled by the electrical conductivity of the PVA/AgNWs microfibers, and the conductivity was influenced by AgNWs content and fiber draw ratio. When AgNWs content was 0.75 wt%, the electrical conductivity of the PVA/AgNWs microfibers reached maximum, which was most beneficial to attract nanofibers. The carefully designed micro/nano composite fibers may have great potential in a broad range of fields.