Ag nanoparticles dispersed in polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber film spun by electrospirming were in situ prepared by reduction of silver ions in N2H5OH aqueous solution. The Ag/PAN nanocomposite film was characterized by UV absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. UV spectrum and TEM image show that silver nanoparticles with average diameter of 10 nm were obtained and dispersed homogeneously in PAN nanofibers. SERS spectrum indicates that the structure of PAN has been changed after Ag nanoparticles are dispersed in PAN. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.