Preparation of Zirconia Nanofibers by Electrospinning and Calcination with Zirconium Acetylacetonate as Precursor

• Published in: Polymers Vol. 11; no. 6; p. 1067
• Main Authors: Rodaev, Vyacheslav V, Razlivalova, Svetlana S, Zhigachev, Andrey O, Vasyukov, Vladimir M, Golovin, Yuri I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 20.06.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Ceramic fibers; ceramic nanofibers; electrospinning; Filaments; morphological evolution; Morphology; Nanofibers; Polyacrylonitrile; Polymers; Roasting; Solvents; Specific surface; support for catalysts; Surface area; Temperature; Tetragonal zirconia; Thermogravimetric analysis; Zirconium; Zirconium dioxide; ZrO2; United States > US; Japan; Germany; ZrO2; support for catalysts; electrospinning; morphological evolution; ceramic nanofibers
• ISSN: 2073-4360; 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym11061067

For the first time, zirconia nanofibers with an average diameter of about 75 nm have been fabricated by calcination of electrospun zirconium acetylacetonate/polyacrylonitrile fibers in the range of 500-1100 °C. Composite and ceramic filaments have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, nitrogen adsorption analysis, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffractometry. The stages of the transition of zirconium acetylacetonate to zirconia have been revealed. It has been found out that a rise in calcination temperature from 500 to 1100 °C induces transformation of mesoporous tetragonal zirconia nanofibers with a high specific surface area (102.3 m /g) to non-porous monoclinic zirconia nanofibers of almost the same diameter with a low value of specific surface area (8.3 m /g). The tetragonal zirconia nanofibers with high specific surface area prepared at 500 °C can be considered, for instance, as promising supports for heterogeneous catalysts, enhancing their activity.