Plain polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibres and novel polyvinyl alcohol benzene tetracarboxylate nanofibres incorporated with strontium, lanthanum and antimony ((PVA/Sr-TBC), (PVA/La-TBC) and (PVA/Sb-TBC)), respectively, where TBC is benzene 1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylate adsorbents, were fabricated by electrospinning. The as-prepared electrospun nanofibres were characterized by scanning electron micros...

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofibres are a novel fibrous nanomaterial with increasing applications in a variety of fields. While the biological effects of TiO2 nanoparticles have been extensively studied, the toxicological characterization of TiO2 nanofibres is far from being complete. In this study, we evaluated the toxicity of commercially available anatase TiO2 nanofibres using TiO2 nanopartic...

Immobilisation of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) on nanofibres was demonstrated. CGTase solution (1% v/v) and PVA (8 wt%) solution were mixed followed by electrospinning (-9 kV, 3 h). CGTase/PVA nanofibres with an average diameter of 176 ± 46 nm were successfully produced. The nanofibres that consist of immobilised CGTase were crosslinked with glutaraldehyde vapour. A CGTase/PVA film ...

In this study, Degussa P25 TiO2 was partially dissolved in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and sodium hydroxide at high pH. The fabrication of nanofibres proceeded by the hydrothermal treatment of the solution at 80 °C. This was followed by acid wash in HCl at pH 2 for 60 min, which resulted in the formation of hydrogen-titanate nanofibres. The nanofibres were annealed at 550 °C for 6 h to produ...

The attachment of antibodies onto polyaniline nanofibres using covalent chemistry was investigated for the first time. Polyaniline nanofibres were functionalised post-polymerisation to attach either amide or carboxylic acid side-groups. These templates could then be further modified to attach antibodies, specifically in this instance mouse immunoglobulin G (IgG). The resultant conjugates were c...

Polymer materials of reduced size and dimensionality, such as thin films, polymer nanofibres and nanotubes, exhibit exceptional mechanical properties compared with those of their macroscopic counterparts. We discuss here the abrupt increase in Young's modulus in polymer nanofibres. Using scaling estimation we show that this effect occurs when, in the amorphous (non-crystalline) part of the nano...

NiFe(2)O(4) multi-particle-chain nanofibres have been successfully fabricated using electrospinning followed by calcination, and their morphology, chemistry and crystal structure were characterized at the nanoscale. Individual NiFe(2)O(4) nanofibres were found to consist of many nanocrystallites stacked along the nanofibre axis. Chemical analysis shows that the atomic ratio of Ni : Fe is 1 : 2,...

Nanofibres possess inimitable features which make them promising for varied applications in diverse fields. Electrospinning is the most versatile technique fabrication of nanofibres. Amongst potential application areas nanofibres, biomedical field assumes first place since especially, biopolymer-based nanofibres can mimic natural extracellular matrix (ECM). Gelatin derived from collagen an exte...

Electrospinning is a simple and inexpensive process that produces continuous nanofibres from the submicron diameter scale down to the nanometer diameter scale through an electrically charged jet of polymer solution. Previously, most of the electrospinning experiments have been carried out using single-needle arrangements. However, the low fluid throughput in needle spinning has limited the indu...

Helical nanofibres of silver(I)-glutathione (Ag-GSH) biocoordination polymer (BCP) are fabricated by introducing dimethyl sulfoxide into the mixture solution of Ag⁺ ions and L-GSH molecules. The prepared BCP nanofibres show hierarchical helical structures, which are constructed via twisting of small fibres. Water-soluble helices could be further cross-linked with Ca²⁺ ions to form a well-disper...