Electrospinning of Porous Silica Nanofibers Containing Silver Nanoparticles for Catalytic Applications

Porous silica nanofibers containing catalytic silver nanoparticles have been synthesized by a new method that combines sol−gel chemistry and electrospinning technique. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), poly[3-(trimethoxysily)propyl methacrylate] (PMCM), and silver nitrate (AgNO3) were used as precursors for the production of silica−PMCM hybrid fibers containing AgNO3. Calcination of the hybrid fibers at high temperatures results in porous silica fibers because of thermal decomposition of PMCM polymer and in conversion of AgNO3 to silver nanoparticles. The color of the fiber mats changed from white to dark golden yellow due to the surface plasma resonance of the silver nanoparticles embedded in the fibers. The size and density of the silver particles in the silica fibers could be tuned by varying the size of the fibers, amount of AgNO3 introduced, and the thermal treatment conditions. The silica fibers containing silver particles were characterized with environmental scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV−vis spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The catalytic activity of the silver containing fiber mats was assessed by a reduction reaction of methylene blue dye.