Electrospinning of gold nanoparticles incorporated PAN nanofibers via in-situ laser ablation of gold in electrospinning solution

Fabrication of electrospun gold nanoparticle incorporated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers via in situ laser ablation of gold in electrospinning solution is reported. It was found that spherical gold nanoparticles with an average diameter of 17 nm had been synthesized successfully. A monocrystalline morphology was shown for the laser ablated gold nanoparticles in the electrospinning solution and inside the nanocomposite nanofibers. An average diameter in the range of 123–317 nm was obtained for the electrospun nanofibers. The gold nanoparticles dispersed in PAN nanofibers showed a face centered cubic crystal structure with an average crystallite size of around 8 nm. A smooth surface was observed for the nanofibers. No gold nanoparticles could be obsreved on the surface of the nanofibers. The gold nanoparticles enjoyed a random distribution inside the nanofibers with no considerable agglomeration. No reaction or interaction could be observed between PAN and the gold nanoparticles.