Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 11, 2026
Solution Blow Spinning of Polymeric Nano-Composite Fibers for Personal Protective Equipment
Published on: March 18, 2021
Multifunctional ZnO/Nylon 6 nanofiber mats by an electrospinning-electrospraying hybrid process for use in protective
Narendiran Vitchuli1, Quan Shi1, Joshua Nowak2
1Fiber and Polymer Science Program, Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8301, USA.
Abstract:
ZnO/Nylon 6 nanofiber mats were prepared by an electrospinning-electrospraying hybrid process in which ZnO nanoparticles were dispersed on the surface of Nylon 6 nanofibers without becoming completely embedded. The prepared ZnO/Nylon 6 nanofiber mats were evaluated for their abilities to kill bacteria or inhibit their growth and to catalytically detoxify chemicals. Results showed that these ZnO/Nylon 6 nanofiber mats had excellent antibacterial efficiency (99.99%) against both the Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Bacillus cereus bacteria. In addition, they exhibited good detoxifying efficiency (95%) against paraoxon, a simulant of highly toxic chemicals. ZnO/Nylon 6 nanofiber mats were also deposited onto nylon/cotton woven fabrics and the nanofiber mats did not significantly affect the moisture vapor transmission rates and air permeability values of the fabrics. Therefore, ZnO/Nylon 6 nanofiber mats prepared by the electrospinning-electrospraying hybrid process are promising material candidates for protective applications.
