Titanium (IV) oxide nanofibers by combined sol-gel and electrospinning techniques: preliminary report on effects of preparation conditions and secondary metal dopant

Sol-gel and electrospinning techniques were incorporated to produce polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/titanium (IV) oxide composite nanofibers from solutions containing PVP and titanium tetraisopropoxide. Diameters of the obtained composite fibers were in the range of 120-350 nm. The effects of PVP concentration and electrostatic field strength on size and size distribution of the as-spun fibers were investigated. Calcination of these composite fibers at 500 degrees C resulted in pure anatase titania nanofibers without contamination of the other phases. The effects of calcination temperature and time on phase and size of the as-spun titania fibers were also investigated in this study. Moreover, the effect of silicon secondary metal dopant on morphology, crystalline phase, and thermal stability of the resulting titania fibers was also discussed. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.