Synthesis and Characterization of Novel PVA/SiO2-TiO2 Hybrid Fibers

Hybrid sols of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/Silicon oxide-titanium oxide (SiO2-TiO2) were prepared with tetraethoxylsilane and tetrabutyl titanate as precursor using Sol-Gel method. PVA/SiO2-TiO2 hybrid fibers were prepared by drawing from the hybrid sols using dip-coating method and aging treatment. The spinnability of hybrid sols was investigated. Spinnable time (t) and spinnable length (l) of hybrid sols increased with either the PVA content or the molar ratio of SiO2 and TiO2. The hybrid fibers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet Visible Spectrometry (UV-Vis) and (Thermo-gravimetric Analysis) TGA. FT-IR results suggested that PVA was linked with (SiO2-TiO2) network by chemical bonds. SEM measurements indicated that when the fibers arrives the maximum spinning length, the diameter of the fibers was about 50 μm, and the whole system was homogeneous. XRD results revealed that the crystallinity of hybrid fibers was decreased distinctly. UV-Vis measurements confirmed that the shielding properties to Ultraviolet (UV) were greatly improved with titania filled in the hybrid fibers. TG measurements suggested that the hybrid fibers show better resistance to heat than pure PVA fibers. Keyword: sol-gel method; PVA; Silicon oxide-titanium oxide; hybrid fibers OPEN ACCESS