Formation and photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanoparticles on electrospun nanofibers produced by atomic layer deposition

Abstract

The unique combination of optical, chemical, and structural properties of one-dimensional zinc oxide (1D ZnO) makes it one of the most attractive materials in a wide range of research and applications. In the present study, 1D ZnO nanomaterials were fabricated using a combination of two independent methods: Electrospinning and atomic layer deposition (ALD). The electrospinning technique was used to produce 1D electrospun fibers consisting of four types of polymers: Polylactic acid (PLLA), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and polyamide 6 (PA6). The ALD technology, in turn, was selected as an excellent candidate for the synthesis of a ZnO thin layer over polymer fibers for the production of 1DZnO/polymer nanofiber composites (PLLA/ZnO, PVDF/ZnO, PVA/ZnO, PA6/ZnO). Structural and optical properties of the produced nanofibers were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray disraction (XRD), disuse reflectance, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. It was found that only PVDF/ZnO nanofibers exhibit stable room temperature PL that may be the result of a higher ZnO content in the sample. In addition, PL measurements were conducted as a function of excitation power and temperature in order to establish the main PL mechanisms and parameters for the PVDF/ZnO sample, as a most promising candidate for the biophotonic application.