Electrospinning of complex oxide nanofibers

Electrospinning is, a versatile process for drawing fibers of diverse materials including polymers, ceramics, and composites. We demonstrate here its application in the synthesis of complex ceramic oxide materials. The phase formation and morphology of BaTiO3 nanofibers synthesized via electrospinning is investigated as a function of heat treatment conditions. Fully crystallized BaTiO3 nanofibers with the perovskite structure are obtained after annealing at 750 degrees C and show an average grain size of about 30 nm. Tetragonal crystal structure of the fibers is indicated by XRD peak splitting (calculated c/a ratio = 1.007), and confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, the advancement in heat treatment of the electrospun fibers yields single crystalline BaTiO3 nanofibers with 50 nm in diameter and lengths up to 1 mu m. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.