Summary
This study investigates how the main electrospinning parameters govern the diameter and morphology of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibres. Aqueous PVA solutions were electrospun into ultrafine fibres while systematically varying solution concentration, flow rate, applied voltage and the needle-to-collector distance, and the resulting fibres were examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to measure their topography and average diameter. The fibre diameters ranged from about 150 to 900 nm and were most strongly influenced by polymer concentration: low concentrations produced discontinuous, beaded fibres, whereas higher concentrations gave smooth, uniform fibres of increasing diameter with the beading disappearing. The results provide practical guidance for tuning electrospinning conditions to obtain PVA nanofibres of a target diameter.