Polyvinyl alcohol/lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PVA/PLZT) composite nanofibers were prepared by the electrospinning method. The PLZT sol was prepared by using lead acetate trihydrate, titanium isopropoxide and zirconium propoxide molecular precursors based on sol-gel procedure. The influence of applied voltage, flow rate and needle-to-collector distance on the composite fiber morphology and diameters has been studied. The nanofibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction, TGA-DSC, FTIR spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Single phase with perovskite structures PLZT nanofibers were also obtained by calcining the PVA/PLZT nanofibrous mat at 650 degrees C for 2 h. A linear correlation was observed between the single perovskite phase evolution and the calcination temperature. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.