Electrospinning of alumina nanofibers using different precursors

Abstract

Alumina nanofibers were prepared using electrospinning technique by studying the effect of different chemical precursors and other processing parameters on morphology of nanofibers. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Polyethylene oxide (PEO) was used as polymer precursors while analytical grade aluminum nitrate nano hydrate and aluminum acetate was used as the source of alumina precursors. The composite solutions of PVA and PEO and aluminum nitrate and aluminum acetate were prepared by mixing appropriate amounts with a magnetic stirrer. The electrospinning of both PVA and PEO was smooth in case of aluminum acetate precursor while the resulted nanofibers were highly hygroscopic in aluminum nitrate due to the presence of nitrate anions. The prepared nanofibers were heat treated at 900°C and 1300°C to remove the organics to generate pure alumina nanofibers. The results show that it was possible to electrospun a solution containing up to 50% Al precursor.