Electrospinning preparation and characterization of alumina nanofibers with high aspect ratio

Alumina nanofibers were successfully prepared via an electrospinning technique combined with a sol gel method. The electrospinning solution was prepared by dissolving aluminum isopropoxide (AM) in distilled water and then mixing with a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) aqueous solution. The as-spun fibers were calcined at different temperatures and characterized by TG-DTA, XRD, SEM-EDS, TEM-SAED, and BET analysis. Results showed that the average fiber diameter decreases with increasing calcination temperature. The as-spun nanofibers were amorphous. After calcination at 1000 degrees C, the nanofibers formed were composed of alpha-Al2O3 and gamma-Al2O3, showing an average diameter of 30-90 nm and an aspect ratio of greater than 1000. The pore size of the obtained fibers was approximately 5 nm, which implies that these fibers are mesoporous materials. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.