The work aims to solve the problem of controlled release of essential oil encapsulated in polymer as a natural antibacterial agent. With polyvinyl alcohol and nanoscale cellulose as the main materials and thyme essential oil as active material, nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning technology. 1wt.% nanofibers hydrogel and 6wt.% polyvinyl alcohol with mass ratio of 3∶4 were added to thyme essential oil of 4wt.%-10wt.% to prepare spinning solution. The nanofibers with a diameter of 100-150 nm were prepared at a mass fraction of 16 kV, a spinning speed of 0.8 mL/h, a spinning distance of 11 cm, and a needle diameter of 0.7 mm. The thyme essential oil was successfully embedded in the nanofibers. The results show that the prepared nanofibers can achieve the effect of slow release of thyme essential oil, and has inhibitory effects on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus niger and Penicillium tangerine.