Investigations on the Structural and Optical Properties of electrospun ZnO - poly (styrene - co-methyl methacrylate) Nanofiber Composites

The present study investigates the capability of novel copolymer poly(styrene - co - methyl methacrylate) to act as a carrier polymer for the fabrication of ZnO-based nanofiber composites. Electrospinning technique was used to fabricate both the virgin polymer and ZnO incorporated polymer nanofiber composites. The structural and optical characterizations were performed by SEM, EDAX, TEM, XRD, FTIR, UV, and PL techniques. SEM analysis showed that defect-free fibers in the nanometer range can be successfully fabricated by electrospinning technique. EDAX and TEM studies confirmed the presence of ZnO in the prepared nanocomposite fibers. FTIR studies showed the characteristic peak corresponding to Zn-O vibration at about 500 cm(-1) thereby further confirming the presence of ZnO in the fibers. UV spectrum also gave peak at 370 nm, which is the characteristic peak of ZnO. PL studies further confirmed the presence of ZnO in the nanofibers by the existence of peaks associated with near band edge, blue, and green emission of ZnO.