Electrospinning and Characterization of Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofibers with Gold Nanoparticles

Pure polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH or PVA) and composite PVOH and gold nanofibers were electrospun to form nonwoven mats. Aqueous solutions of the PVOH and gold nanoparticles were blended at various concentrations to achieve viscous solutions suitable for the electrospinning process. The concentrations were varied to obtain sub-micron and nanoscale fiber mats. Fiber mat morphology was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Gold nanoparticle content was verified using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Gold nanoparticle size was measured using TEM and verified using Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The bulk chemistry and surface chemistry was analyzed using Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy and contact angle analysis. The fiber morphology, chemical compositions and contact angle data show that these electrospun materials are suitable for applications including biosensing, biomedical and tissue engineering.