Synthesizing magnetic nanocomposite fibers for undergraduate nanotechnology laboratory

Abstract

Flexible magnetic nanocomposite fibers were produced by an electrospinning method using a polymeric solution containing poly(acrylonitrile) and magnetite nanoparticles. The educational objective of this study was to demonstrate nanomanufacturing to undergraduate students in the College of Engineering at Wichita State University (WSU). Magnetic nanoparticles (~10 nm) were prepared using a chemical co-precipitation of ferric and ferrous chloride salts in the presence of an ammonium hydroxide solution. The effect of magnetic particle concentrations (e.g., 0%, 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) on nanocomposite fibers, distribution, and morphology were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This experimental study indicated that the average diameter of the magnetic nanocomposite fibers ranged from 400 nm to 1.0 μm. The magnetic responses were found to increase linearly with increasing percent loading of the magnetic nanoparticles.