The hybrid polymer materials of nano-zinc oxide were synthesized via miniemulsion polymerization technique. Zinc oxide nanoparticles were encapsulated by polystyrene to introduce multi-function to the hybrid nano-zinc oxide. The contents of zinc oxide particles in the hybrid nano-zinc oxide were various from 1wt% to 40wt%. The particles sizes of hybrid nano-zinc oxide were determined by using dynamic light scattering. It was showed that the particle size of the hybrid nano-zinc oxide was in the range of 124-205nm. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to determine the topography and morphology of hybrid nano-zinc oxide. The crystal structure of hybrid nano-zinc oxide were explored by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy.

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Poly(vinyl alcohol) nanowebs were prepared by electrospoinning technique. The electrospinning technique produced nanometer scale of polymer fibres. This technique used the electrostatic force draw the polymer solution from the needle tip and deposited on substrate to from nanowebs. The PVA nanowebs were prepared with various surfactant types (anionic, cationic and nonionic surfactant). The cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, polyethylene glycol sorbitanmonolaurate, polyoxyethylenesorbitanmonolaurate, sodium lauryl sulfate were employed as surfactants. The morphology of PVA nanowebs were investigated using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The SEM micrograph shows that PVA nanowebs with all surfactants were successfully prepared with no beat. Thermal properties were measured by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results show that the %crystalline of PVA with SLS surfactant was slightly decreased. The mechanical property of nanowebs were measured using universal testing machine. The structure of nanowebs were analyzed by x-ray diffraction technique.

The mini‐emulsion polymerization of polystyrene–titanium dioxide (PS/TiO2) hybrid antibacterial material was carried out. Triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) was used, as a crosslinking agent, to enhance the stability, the encapsulation efficiency of TiO2, the self‐organized structure of the nanoparticles and photocatalytic behavior. The particle size and morphology as well as the photocatalytic properties of the polymer hybrids were characterized by dynamic light scattering, field emission SEM and UV–visible spectroscopy. The results showed that the average particle size of PS/TiO2 hybrids was in the range 98–242 nm with a narrow size distribution. The results of field emission SEM demonstrated the raspberry‐like self‐organized hexagonal structure of the polymer hybrids in the presence of TEGDMA. The morphology and structure of the PS/TiO2 hybrid were observed using high resolution TEM. The results show that the PS and PS/TiO2 hybrids have a well‐defined structure. Energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy was used to confirm that PS/TiO2 hybrid contains elemental titanium. It was noticed that the elemental analysis of Ti and O was 8.03 wt% (2.9 at%) and 7.97 wt% (6.5 at%), respectively. It should be emphasized that the results of high resolution TEM and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy are considered excellent proof for the formation of PS/TiO2 hybrid. The thermal properties of PS and the hybrids with TiO2 were explored by DSC. It was found that the presence of TEGDMA in the system may reduce the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer hybrids. XRD confirmed the formation of PS/TiO2 hybrids and the antibacterial activity was also investigated. An escalation of intensity in the XRD pattern of the TiO2 signals in the PS/TiO2 hybrids was observed. The antibacterial activity study noted that the PS/TiO2 hybrid demonstrated excellent antifungal and antibacterial properties against a broad range of both Gram‐positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram‐negative (Klebsiella pneumoniae) bacteria. The photocatalytic efficiency of PS/TiO2 was assessed by monitoring the discoloration of an organic dye (methylene blue) under UVA irradiation. It indicated that the photocatalysis of PS/TiO2 in the presence of TEGDMA was increased due to the association of TEGDMA in the self‐organization structure of the hybrid system. © 2021 Society of Industrial Chemistry.

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