Fabrication of ZnO and TiO2 Nanotubes via Flexible Electro-Spun Nanofibers for Photocatalytic Applications

Abstract

Web-like architectures of ZnO and TiO2 nanotubes were fabricated based on a three-step process of templating polymer nanofibers produced by electrospinning (step 1). The electrospun polymer nanofibers were covered by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering with thin layers of semiconducting materials (step 2), with FESEM observations proving uniform deposits over their entire surface. ZnO or TiO2 nanotubes were obtained by subsequent calcination (step 3). XRD measurements proved that the nanotubes were of a single crystalline phase (wurtzite for ZnO and anatase for TiO2) and that no other crystalline phases appeared. No other elements were present in the composition of the nanotubes, confirmed by EDX measurements. Reflectance spectra and Tauc plots of Kubelka–Munk functions revealed that the band gaps of the nanotubes were lower than those of the bulk materials (3.05 eV for ZnO and 3.16 eV for TiO2). Photocatalytic performances for the degradation of Rhodamine B showed a large degradation efficiency, even for small quantities of nanotubes (0.5 mg/10 mL dye solution): ~55% for ZnO, and ~95% for TiO2.

Functional Electrospun Nanofibrous Hybrid Materials for Colorimetric Sensors: A Review

“…The results show that the titanium particles of the prepared composite nanomaterials were relatively evenly distributed on the surface of the PCL/PHBV fiber. Furthermore, semiconductor nanotubes were also fabricated by further removing the fiber template (Figure b) . This method is less commonly used due to its expensive instruments and complex operations.…”

Electrospun hybrid nanofibers: Fabrication, characterization, and biomedical applications

“…For instance, combining electrospinning with plasma technology can lead to the formation of NPs on the surface of nanofibers containing the precursor for NPs ( Annur et al, 2015 ). The electrospray or magnetron sputtering technology also allows the uniform coverage of NPs on the surface of nanofibers ( Enculescu et al, 2021 ; Park et al, 2021 ).…”

Electrospun Composite Nanofibers for Functional Applications

“…This methodology promotes the interaction between NPs and easily loads NPs on the nanofiber surface [66]. The electrospray [67] or magnetron sputtering [68] technology allows the uniform spraying of NPs on the fiber surface. The single-fluid ES process requires mixed solutions with a certain viscosity and dispersion.…”