TiO2 nanorods coated onto nylon 6 nanofibers using hydrothermal treatment with improved mechanical properties

• TiO2 nanorod well aligned arrays onto nylon 6 electrospun nanofibers.
• TiO2 nanorod improves mechanical properties of the composites.
• Hydrothermal technique induces chain conformation of nylon 6.
• Strong interfacial interaction bonding between the compounds using this process.
• N6 decorated with large number TiO2 showed good hydrophilicity.

Well-aligned arrays TiO2 nanorods were deposited onto electrospun nylon 6 (N6) nanofibers. The complete coverage of individual fiber surfaces with TiO2 nanorods occurred in a very short time using a cost effective hydrothermal technique. The results demonstrate that organic molecule substrates have a considerable influence on nucleation and precipitation mechanism and uniform distribution behaviors of TiO2 onto N6 nanofibers surface with good interfacial adhesion between the components. N6 decorated with large number TiO2 nanorods showed good hydrophilicity. Significant improvement in mechanical properties like tensile strength and modulus of the TiO2/N6 composite membrane mats in comparison to the pristine N6 mats was observed by applying just 2 h reaction process. The resultant TiO2/N6 spider-net like composite mat with good hydrophilicity may be a potential candidate for future water filter applications, and its improved mechanical will also make it a potential candidate for protective clothing.

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