Large-scale fabrication of Ag nanoparticles in PVP nanofibres and net-like silver nanofibre films by electrospinning.

Heat treatment of various compositions of AgNO(3)-doped polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) composite nanofibres fabricated by electrospinning produced two kinds of silver species: (i) Ag nanoparticles dispersed in PVP nanofibres, when the loading of AgNO(3) was 5 wt%, and (ii) a net-like silver nanofibre film when the loading of AgNO(3) was five times greater than that of PVP in the composite nanofibres. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, FT-IR spectra, powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the silver nanoparticles and nanofibres. The formation mechanisms are discussed based on the redox reaction between AgNO(3) and PVP during heat treatment; essentially, the weight ratios of AgNO(3) to PVP determined the types of morphologies, from Ag nanoparticles to silver nanofibre film. The present results may find some potential application in the design of new composite materials in the dielectric and electronics areas.