The fabrication of La-substituted bismuth titanate nanofibers by electrospinning

Bismuth titanates with La-substituted (Bi3.25La0.75Ti3O12, BLT) nanofibers were synthesized by sol-gel based electrospinning. Pure phase perovskite structure BLT nanofibers could be obtained by annealing at 700 degrees C in air for 1 h. The morphology, crystallized phase and crystal structure were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction analysis and high resolution transmission electron microscopy, respectively. Nanofibers with fine crystallinity were observed with fiber diameters in the range of 100-300 nm and length over 150 mu m. The ferroelectricity of BLT nanofibers has been confirmed by piezoresponse force microscopy. Excellent piezoelectricity of individual nanofibers has also been obtained.