A CONDUCTIVE NANOFIBER PVA/ZNO USING ELECTROSPINNING PROCESS AND ITS POTENTIALLY FOR EDIBLE ELECTRONIC

Electrospun nanofibers have been widely used for various applications. PVA/ZnO nanofiber composites have been successfully fabricated and their electrical properties have been tested. The purpose of this research is to investigate the potential of these nanofiber composites as edible electronic materials based on their conductivity. In this experiment, we used commercially available Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) and ZnO technical quality. The composites were prepared by mixing PVA and ZnO at weight per volume (w/v) concentrations. Nanofiber fabrication was carried out using the electrospinning technique with high voltage at 14 kV, a flow rate of 2 mL/hour, and humidity around 50%. The PVA/ZnO nanofibers were characterized using a digital microscope, Scanning Electron Microscope to observe surface morphology and diameter of nanofiber, and conductivity measurements were conducted to assess electrical conductivity. The results showed that optimum nanofibers were formed with a 10% concentration and varying ZnO have an average diameter size of 225 ± 0.5 nm. The addition of ZnO to PVA nanofibers enhances their electrical characteristics. The electrical conductivity of PVA/ZnO nanofibers increases with the addition of ZnO. The highest AC conductivity of PVA/ZnO nanofibers is 315 μS.m-2 at a concentration of 5 mg (w/v). This indicates that PVA/ZnO has good enough conductivity to be used in electronic devices. The PVA/ZnO nanofiber has a small diameter due to its viscosity, surface tension, and good molecular weight, making it capable of being drawn by electrospinning. ZnO is chosen for its ready availability and good conductivity properties. Therefore, the combination of these two materials enhances the conductivity characteristics of the nanofibers.