Fibrous poly(vinyl alcohol)/zirconia and poly(vinyl alcohol)/alumina nanohybrids were obtained by electrospinning technique, the applied voltage ranging between 12 and 16 W The actual nanofiller content ranged between 2 and 9 wt%. Electrospun nanohybrids consisted of uniform fibers free of defects The. average fiber diameter was around 600 nm for all electrospun mats. Nano and/or submicrometric ceramic agglomerates were observed onto and inside the overall polymeric fibers. Nanohybrid mats containing the highest amounts of nanoparticles showed a significant reduction of crystallinity. All electrospun nanohybrids evidenced improved mechanical properties with respect to the neat PVA mat. The tensile modulus of PVA/Al(2)O(3) and PVA/ZrO(2) mats reached 350 +/- 40 MPa and 190 +/- 55 MPa, respectively, the value for the neat PVA being 90 +/- 20 MPa. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.