Search

Aramid paper based on poly ( p -phenylene terephthamide) (PPTA) is a typically excellent insulation material, but the common preparation is complex and tedious. In this work, using the PPTA based aramid nanofibers (ANFs) synthesized by the bottom-up polymerization induced self-assembly process, insulation paper was fabricated through the vacuum assisted filtration without any high pressure or high temperature treatment. Importantly, the ANF paper exhibits improved electrical insulation, desired mechanical strength and good thermal stability, which is attributed to the tightly weaved architecture formed by the nanofibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A titanate nanofiber paper with robust and good flexible property was successfully prepared by alkali hydrothermal synthesis with simple paper-making method. These nanofibers were about 80nm in diameter and had a typical length in the range of tens of micrometers. Despite the transformation from titanate to TiO2-B phase was initially started, such nanofiber paper still kept its original shape and good flexibility after calcinations at 450°C for 30min. A solar cell with titanate nanofiber paper as scattering layer yielded an overall conversion efficiency of 4.90% under an incident solar energy of 100mW/cm2, about 27.5% higher than that without nanofiber paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Graphical abstract Highlights • A multifunctional strategy to improve the overall performances of CNF nanopaper. • CNF@ANF nanopaper owns excellent wet strength and UV-blocking properties. • Transparent, strong, flexible, water-resistant, and UV-blocking CNF-based nanopaper. Abstract A promising strategy to synergistically improve the water resistance, wet strength and UV-blocking property of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) nanopaper via layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly of aramid nanofiber (ANF) film was proposed. The water resistance, optical properties and mechanical performances (in dry and wet states) of the resultant CNF@ANF hybrid nanopapers were investigated. The results show that CNF@ANF nanocomposites display excellent water resistance, wet strength and UV-blocking properties. Especially, the wet strength of CNF@ANF 10 paper reached 101 MPa after soaked in water for 24 h, which was 86 times higher than pure CNF nanopaper, representing one of the strongest CNF-based hybrid nanopapers in fully wet conditions, which will be favorable for the potential advanced applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Arranged TiO 2 nanofibers was fabricated via electrospinning and sintering method. • TiO 2 nanofibers with different polymorphs obtained by controlling the temperature. • The mixed phases TiO 2 nanofibers demonstrated better transistor properties. Abstract A facile approach to fabricate arranged TiO 2 nanofibers via electrospinning and sintering is investigated in this paper. We have successfully demonstrated the electrospun TiO 2 nanofibers transited from anatase to rutile phase with the increase of sintering temperature. Meanwhile, the TiO 2 nanofibers with a mixed crystalline structure displayed better transistor characteristics and enhanced electrical property as building block in a top-gate field-effect transistor (FET) devices, compared to the pure anatase and rutile phase of TiO 2 nanofibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The ferromagnetic properties were observed in the ZnO nanofiber. • The dielectric loss and magnetic loss properties of nanofiber were much better than those of nanoparticle. • The bead-like fibrous shape was beneficial to improve microwave absorption properties of Co-doped ZnO. Abstract In this paper, Co-doped ZnO nanoparticle and nanofiber are prepared by electrospinning method. The results show that Co-doped ZnO nanofiber performs bead-like fibrous shape and exhibits ferromagnetic properties. The dielectric loss and magnetic loss properties of Co-doped ZnO nanofiber are much better than those of Co-doped ZnO nanoparticle due to the improvement of dipole polarization, interfacial polarization and shape anisotropy. The absorptivity of Co-doped ZnO nanofiber can reach 70% in the frequency range of 5.3–18 GHz when the coating thickness is 1.5–4.0 mm. It is demonstrated that the bead-like fibrous shape is beneficial to optimize electromagnetic loss and microwave absorption properties of Co-doped ZnO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addition of ZrC to ZrB 2 is favored to improve the fracture toughness of ZrB 2 . In this paper, ZrB 2 -ZrC composite nanofibers with eutectic composition are fabricated by electrospinning and carbothermal reduction. The precursors prepared by electrospinning are smooth and uniform. ZrB 2 -ZrC composite nanofibers could be fabricated by heat-treatment of precursors at 1300 °C in argon. Heat-treatment temperature influences the crystalline structure and grain size of nanofibers. The diameter of ZrB 2 -ZrC composite nanofibers is about 250 nm. The mole ratio of ZrB 2 and ZrC in the nanofibers is 47:53, very close to the eutectic composition of ZrB 2 -ZrC composites. Some amorphous carbon is present in the nanofibers. The effect of heat-treatment temperature on amorphous carbon content is analyzed. The interface between ZrB 2 and ZrC nano-grains is characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) and cellulose nanofiber (CNF) were prepared by chemical and mechanical methods, and their aerogel were fabricated by freeze-drying technology in combination with solvent replacement. The mixed aerogel of CNC and CNF showed better performance than that from pure CNC or CNF. What’s more, the mixture ratio of CNC and CNF has great influences on the properties of the prepared aerogel. When the mixture ratio of CNF and CNC was 3:1, the internal of aerogel presents a uniform three-dimensional network structure with abundant pores. It exhibited a higher specific surface area of up to 143 m 2 /g and the compressive strength was 0.202 MPa under 80% strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, novel transparent nano-pattern window screen was successfully prepared by electrospinning. SEM, VHX 3D digital microscope and tensile tester were employed to characterize the morphology and the mechanical properties, which indicated that the nanofibers in the PA66 nano-patterned membranes are uniform and the diameter of about 200 nm, and there is no adhesion between nanofibers. In addition, we could find that the surface of the PA66 transparent nano-patterned membrane was more flat. Simultaneously, Mechanical properties of the PA66 nano-pattern membrane are better than those of the PA66 random orientation membrane. Moreover, applications of the PA66 transparent nano-pattern window screen as a filter for air filtration, we could find that the window screen showed excellent filtration efficiency for the PM 0.3-5 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we reported a facile and eco-friendly approach for the synthesis of new type multifunction cellulose nanofibers-graphene aerogel (CGA) by hydrothermal processing, freeze-drying and carbonization. Then we explored its energy and environmental applications as supercapacitors electrode and absorbents. The results showed that the prepared CGA possessed highly porous and interconnected three-dimensional nanostructure provided efficient migration of electrolyte ions and electrons, and thus the aerogels exhibited superb electrochemical performance. The specific capacitances can reached 300 F/g at scan rate of 5 mV/s. In addition, the CGA showed excellent adsorption capacity for bisphenol A, which reached 481.1 mg/g. The excellent electrochemical performance and adsorption capacities showed the CGA to be a high-performance and promising material for supercapacitors and adsorbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, hierarchical WO 3 nanofibers are synthesized on a flexible carbon cloth by a facile hydrothermal route. The as-prepared products as supercapacitor electrodes show high discharge areal capacitance (1716.92 mF cm −2 at 2 mA cm −2 ) and cycling stability (20.9% loss after 6000 repetitive cycles at 10 mA cm −2 ). These superior performances of hierarchical WO 3 structures indicate their promising applications in supercapacitor electrode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Calcium silicate-based nanofibers are synthesized through seed-mediated hydrothermal method. • The structure of unstable nanofiber is Na 2 Ca 3 Si 2 O 8. • Nanofibers with defects have strong interactions with Ca2+ ions. • The flexural strength of mortar can be enhanced by adding the nanofibers. Despite many studies of nanomaterials have been reported on the enhancement of cement-based materials, such as the pozzolanic effect of nano silica and flexural enhancement of fibers, there rarely are reports of the nanomaterials with both pozzolanic effect and shape-based enhancement. In this paper, anisotropic nanofibers were synthesized based on calcium silicates through hydrothermal method. Seed-mediated growth was conducted while SiO 2 nanoparticles served as the seeds and pseudo-wollastonite was used as the precursor. Importantly, the addition of the nanofibers can greatly improve the 28d flexural strength from 7.12 MPa to 8.99 MPa of the cement-based materials, which provides a new approach to realize the high performance of cement-based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Medical-grade silicone was made into a film using electrospinning technology. • The conditions for curing the silicone film at low temperature were studied. • The fabricated electrospun multi-layer membrane has high mechanical properties. • The multi-layer membrane cured at a low temperature had no problem in cell growth. A stent is a medical device used when the flow of blood or body fluids such as the gastrointestinal tract and blood vessels is not smooth due to occurrence of malignant or benign diseases. When a stent is coated using electrospinning, it has the advantage of being able to add various functions, such as coating drugs or selecting various polymers such as biodegradable polymers and high elastic polymers according to the application. However, due to problems such as weak physical properties and shrinkage peculiar to electrospun fibers, electrospun coated stents are not currently in use. In this paper, an electrospun silicone/PCL multi-layer membrane was prepared using biodegradable polymer PCL and medical-grade silicone used for stent coating. The prepared electrospun multi-layer membrane was able to compensate for the weak physical properties of the electrospun fiber through the silicone film. In addition, it was confirmed that there was no problem in using this multi-layer membrane prepared for medical use through cytotoxicity evaluation. When the stent is coated using the electrospun multi-layer film, it is expected that a multifunctional stent with properties similar to the existing covered stent through a silicone film and with various functions added through an electrospun fiber can be manufactured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Chitin nanofibers reduced the blood-clotting time and increased clot firmness. • The morphology of chitin nanofibers impacts their hemostatic properties. • The positively-charged surface of chitin stimulates contact activation pathways. Recently, negatively-charged nanofibers made of macro-scale carbohydrate polymers, such as cellulose, have been investigated for hemostatic applications. It was demonstrated that nanostructural features including specific surface area and aspect ratio can be optimized to increase the interaction of blood components with nanofibers. However, the influence of nanofiber's surface charge is unknown. In this paper, positively-charged nanofibers were produced from shrimp chitin using a ball-milling technique. In-vitro thromboelastometry studies revealed that nanofibers morphology has much stronger influence than the surface charge on their hemostatic efficacy. Consequently, with optimizing the morphology, clotting time was reduced by 70 ± 2%, and clot firmness was increased by 12 ± 1% comparable to commercial hemostats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foldable and free-standing electrodes were fabricated using the macroporous cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) as the scaffold. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MCNTs) wrapped around the CNFs as the conductive skin, while the elongated (tens of microns) TiO 2 nanotubes (TNTs) were interpenetrated within the MCNTs and macroporous CNFs network. Electrochemical analysis indicated that the hybrid electrodes displayed a high discharge capacity of 62.5 mF/cm 2 at 10 mV/s and a good cyclability with a capacity loss 5% after 1000 cycles at 0.5 mA/cm 2 . The hybrid electrodes possessed highly mechanical property and could be folded back and forth as a paper airplane without mechanical failure. Therefore the low-cost, light-weight and foldable electrodes can be well applied as foldable all-solid-state supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snail powders have many medicine functions. This paper uses the powders as additives for fabrication of nanofibers by the electrospinning and the bubble electrospinning, such work has never been studied before in any open literature. Unsmooth nanofiber is observed, and small fibers have higher acid-proof and alkali-proof properties, and their main reasons are revealed. Snail’s slime involved in the powder has a fast immobilization property, and the immobilization process will blocks surface motion of the spun jets during the spinning process. Potential applications of the unsmooth nanofibers are predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper we report the synthesis, structural characterization and catalytic properties of alumina nanofibers supported Ni-CeO 2 catalyst (Ni-CeO 2 /ANF) in pre-reforming of propane as a main component of liquefied petroleum gas. Ni-CeO 2 /ANF catalyst was prepared via template-assisted wet-combustion synthesis. High dispersion and uniform distribution of nickel and ceria species over nanofibers surface were reached. Ni-CeO 2 /ANF exhibited sufficient activity, stability and coking-resistance in pre-reforming of propane at low steam to carbon ratio and temperatures of 350–425 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An improved free surface electrospinning for high throughput of nanofibers by utilizing micro-bubble solution system has been successfully developed in the present paper. Compared with the conventional solution system based free surface electrospinning, more jets were observed to form on the edges of the stepped pyramid shaped spinneret simultaneously and nanofibers similar in quality (diameter, diameter distribution) were produced. In addition, the effect of bubble size on the diameters of nanofibers is experimentally studied, revealing that the smaller bubble size favors the smaller diameter. This novel solution system based free surface electrospinning will benefit to the development of free surface electrospinning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the synthesis and the characterization of CoFe 2 O 4 and CoFe 2 O 4 /Co 3 O 4 nanofibers prepared by Electrospinning. The samples with various weight ratios of Co/Fe were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that by increasing the weight ratio of Co/Fe, a mix of phases CoFe 2 O 4 /Co 3 O 4 has been detected. The one dimensional morphology is conserved till a critical weight ratio Co/Fe of 1.08 above which the nanostructures completely lose their morphology. These results provide a promising lead for the future synthesis of a variety of CoFe 2 O 4 based nanofiber morphologies with controllable diameter and crystalline structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a relatively simple and low-cost approach to prepare Al2O3 coated with electrospun meta-aramid nanofibers. These Al2O3/meta-aramid composite nanofiber mats can be directly used as separating membrane in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. The manufacture, characteristics, performance and modifications of these Al2O3/meta-aramid composite nanofiber separators are introduced and discussed. In cell test, the capacity efficiency of Al2O3 coated M-aramid nanofibers separator was much better than that of M-aramid nanofibers. The LiCoO2/graphite cells assembled with the Al2O3 ceramic coated M-aramid nanofibers separator exhibited reversibility up to 4.2 V with a 232 mA h/g discharge capacity. Among numerous battery separators, the thermal shutdown and ceramic based separators are of special importance in enhancing the safety of lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel coaxial electrospinning process modified from free surface electrospinning has been successfully developed to massive production of core–shell nanofibers in the present paper. A two-layer polymer system, with the lower layer consisting a core polymer solution and the upper layer consisting a sheath polymer solution, is subjected to a sufficient electrical field. As a result, multiple coaxial jets spontaneously form on the edges of the stepped pyramid-shaped spinneret. Compared with the conventional concentric spinneret based coaxial electrospinning, the possibility of clogging was avoided and an enhancement of more than 100 times over the traditionally obtained core–shell nanofibers productivity was obtained. This novel design has potential for high throughput of electrospun core–shell nanofibers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • A facile electrospinning method is used to produce V 2 O 5 nanofibers. • V 2 O 5 nanofibers cathodes provide up to 357 mA h g−1 in aqueous zinc-ion batteries. • Zn2+ intercalation affects structure and electrochemical properties of electrodes. • The electrodes show remarkable capacity after 500 charge–discharge cycles. Vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5) has attracted significant attention in recent years as a cathode material for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Its unique layered structure allows for reversible intercalation of various multivalent ions, including Zn2+. This paper proposes a sol–gel electrospinning method for preparation of vanadium pentoxide nanofibers, followed by thermal treatment in air. The composition and structure of the obtained powders were verified by X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray elemental analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, while the morphology of the samples was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The electrochemical properties and performance of the electrode materials based on V 2 O 5 nanofibers were studied using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy methods. V 2 O 5 electrodes demonstrate high specific capacity (357 mA h g−1 at 0.05 A g−1) and good long-term cyclic stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium phosphate (CaP) materials such as synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA, Ca10(PO4)6·(OH)2) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP, Ca3(PO4)2) are well-known for their potential in bone tissue engineering and drug delivery applications. Processing such materials into submicrofibres might contribute to improve their biocompatibility. This paper presents a new method for creating CaP submicrofibres through the electrospinning route. A thermal treatment at sintering temperature (1100°C) was applied to electrospun polymer fibres filled with hydroxyapatite nanoparticles to cause aggregation of the nanoparticles and vaporise the polymer matrix. The images taken by electron microscopy revealed that the treated samples maintained their submicrofibrous morphology. Moreover, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed that the resulting fibres are made of hydroxypatite and tricalcium phosphates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hyperthermophiles are expected as the source of thermostable enzymes, but agarose-gel culture is unavailable for isolating them because of the high temperature culture condition. In this paper, we proposed the scaffold suitable for long-term culture of hyperthermophiles, which is applicable for an extremely high-temperature. We have investigated the dynamics of the attachment and colonisation of Sulfolobus solfataricus, onto electrospun nanofiber scaffold. Observation by fluorescent microscopy and SEM demonstrated adhered and colonised onto the polyurethane nanofibres the hydrophilicity of which was enhanced by oxygen plasma treatment. This research is a first step towards developing a new approach to successful solid-culture of hyperthermophiles under extreme conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper we present a study on the microwave frequency properties of PVC/Fe3O4 composite nanofibers, with different amounts of iron oxide nanoparticles incorporate in PVC matrix. Using electrospinning where obtained composite nanofibers with diameters ranging between 100nm and 600nm. The transmission loss of PVC/Fe3O4 composites measured in the microwave frequency range of X-band were found to be below −15dB demonstrating that these materials can be used as protection material of electromagnetic radiation. The applied magnetic field significantly modifies the measured scattering parameters in our samples case in a rather large domain of values for the field. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Fabrication of ultraviolet light emitting devices using ZnO nanostructures is still difficult due to the high cost synthesis for high quality ZnO. It is important to suppress the visible emission. In this paper, we report the effective low cost in-situ preparation of high quality monodispersed and non-agglomerate ZnO nanoparticles in nanofibrous PVA matrix derived from electrospinning method. The final product was investigated by SEM, EDAX, XRD, FTIR, TEM, and SAED. The XRD analysis proved the successful preparation of ZnO with wurtzite hexagonal phase. FTIR spectroscopic measurements showed the interaction between ZnO and PVA. The purity of the sample was studied using PL. The result showed that the obtained sample exhibits intense ultraviolet emissions at 369nm while the absence of deep level emission confirms the high quality sample. PVA matrix and electrospinning method are found to have a vital role to the preparation of defect free ZnO. Experimental results have proven that the prepared ZnO by this method have excellent optical quality. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• We introduced a novel VAD method for highly aligned PAN nanofiber bundles fabrication. • The vacuum attractive force driven by Venturi tube made the PAN nanofibers easy to bundle. • PAN nanofiber bundles prepared by VAD method had better alignment and mechanical properties. • The VAD method provides a new strategy for preparing nanofiber bundles. In this paper, highly aligned electrospinning polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber bundles with excellent mechanical properties were successfully fabricated via a novel Venturi tube high-speed airflow drafting (VAD) method, which was proved to be an effective way for preparing well-aligned nanofibers. The drafting force imposed by the high-speed airflow had significant effects on the alignment and mechanical properties of PAN nanofibers. Specially, the vacuum attractive force driven by Venturi tube made the nanofibers easy to bundle which further improved their orientation and mechanical properties. The results demonstrated that with the increase of high-speed airflow, the degree of orientation and mechanical properties of the PAN nanofiber bundles increased initially and then decreased. Compared with other wind pressure conditions, when the high-speed airflow was 0.1 MPa, the PAN nanofiber bundles alignment degree was optimum, and its breaking strength reached 155.76 CN. The drafting and attractive force of Venturi tube provides a new strategy for preparing nanofiber bundles with high orientation and outstanding mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel interfacial polymerization method derived from the self-assembly method is presented in this paper for the generation of radially oriented polyaniline nanofibers. Salicylic acid (SA) was used as dopant and the diameters of polyaniline-SA nanofibers range from 300 to 500 nm. Compared with the previous interfacial polymerization methods, no organic solution was added in our method. The organic phase formed in our experiment is made up of a monomer (aniline) and a dopant (salicylic acid: SA) and their amounts were increased. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra are used to characterize the products. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes a procedure of synthesizing MoS2 nanofibers with hexagonal structure. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/Ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (ATTM) composite nanofibers were prepared by a sol–gel method and an electrospinning technique. Subsequently, the MoS2 nanofibers were derived from reduction of these precursor composite fibers at 450°C under a H2 atmosphere for 2h, and calcinating at higher temperature under an Ar atmosphere for 6h. The precursor composite nanofibers and the MoS2 nanofibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the crystalline phase and fiber morphology were largely influenced by the calcination temperature in Ar atmosphere, the diameter of MoS2 nanofibers distributes from 50nm to 200nm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Electrospinning is a novel technique used to fabricate nanometers to micrometers diameter polymeric and ceramic fibers. The morphology and structure of fibers which would be dominated by electrospinning process parameters and calcinations conditions are important when considering practical applications. This paper involves an investigation of how heating rate influence morphology and structure of CoFe2O4 nanofibers. The morphology of CoFe2O4 nanofibers changes from a continuous fibrous structure for low heating rate to a winding and packed crystallites nature for high heating rate, increasing heating rate also causes an increase in diameter. FTIR and XRD results demonstrate that PVP/CoFe2O4 composite nanofibers for all heating rate form CoFe2O4 cubic phase with very high crystallinity after calcinations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, iron nanofibers were successfully produced by electrospinning of ferric nitrate–PVA solutions to corresponding PVA/Fe(NO3)3 composite nanofibers followed by calcinations and reduction. The thermal stability of the as-prepared PVA/Fe(NO3)3 composite nanofibers were investigated by TG–DSC. The morphologies and structures of the as-prepared samples were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results obtained indicated that: the thermal transformation of ferric nitrate and the decomposition of PVA in PVA/Fe(NO3)3 composite nanofibers ended at 310°C and 460°C respectively. The as-prepared iron nanofibers showed a continuous morphology and a very high degree of crystallization. Furthermore, the average diameter was about 180nm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Titanium dioxide is one of the best semiconductor photocatalysts available for photocatalysis. In this paper, titanium dioxide nanofiber membranes are prepared by post-anneal-assisted electrospinning process. The obtained membrane is composed of anatase titanium dioxide continuous and porous nanofibers with diameters ranging from 65 to 115 nm. An optimized annealing scheme is determined. Photocatalytic measurements show that the photocatalytic efficiency of the anatase TiO2 nanofiber membrane is 72%, which is highly superior to that of the anatase TiO2 thin film (44%). It is believed that the large specific surface area intensively enhances the photocatalytic reactions and the good shape retention might be favorable for recuperability and practicality. The potential applications for environmental purification are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of this study was to isolate cellulose nanofibers from kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) stem using chemo-mechanical treatments. The fiber purification method included pulping and bleaching processes whereas the mechanical treatments employed to isolate kenaf nanofibers were grinding and high pressure homogenizing. Kenaf nanofibers were found to have diameters in the range of 15–80nm while most nanofibers have diameters within the range 15–25nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that the chemical treatments removed lignin and most of the hemicelluloses from the fibers. The thermal characteristics of the fibers were analyzed using the technique of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) which demonstrated that these characteristics were enhanced noticeably both for the bleached pulp and nanofibers. On the other hand, the X-ray analysis indicated that both chemical and mechanical treatments can improve the crystallinity of fibers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]