Synthesis of TiO2 nanofibers by electrospinning using water-soluble Ti-precursor

Abstract

A new electrospinning process was developed for preparing TiO 2 nanofibers using a water-soluble Ti-precursor, [bis(kappa1O-hydroxo)(bis(kappa2O,O 0 -lactato)titanium(IV)] commonly known as titanium(IV) bis (ammonium lactato) dihydroxide (TiBALDH). The importance of the study is justified by the fact that Ti-precursors used for electrospinning, sol-gel, hydrothermal and other fiber synthesis processes are mostly non-water soluble. Accordingly, anatase TiO 2 nanofibers of diameter between 20 and 140 nm were synthesized by electrospinning and annealing. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and different concentrations of TiBALDH were dissolved in a mixture of water, ethyl alcohol and acetic acid to optimize the electrospinning conditions. The thermal decomposition and fragmentation of PVP, TiBALDH and the fibers with 50% mass fraction of TiBALDH were studied by TGA-MS measurements. The fibers were then annealed at 1°C min -1 until 600°C. The TiO 2 fibers were characterized using SEM-EDX, FTIR and XRD

Ultrathin and Conformal TiOx Overlayers on WO3 Photoelectrodes for Simultaneous Surface Trap Passivation and Heterojunction Formation

“…32,33 The peak at 1630 cm −1 corresponds to the C�O stretching in Ti-DAL. 32,33 The observation of these phenomena can serve as indirect evidence supporting the successful deposition of Ti-DAL on the WO 3 films. The treatment with O 2 plasma results in a significant decrease in the peak intensities at both 3420 and 1630 cm −1 , which is indicative of the severe degradation of Ti-DAL.…”

“…31 The peaks at nearly 1125 and 1050 cm −1 are attributed to the stretching vibrations of C−O bonds, and peaks at 3420 cm −1 are due to the stretching vibrations of −OH from water. 32,33 Due to the hydrophilicity of Ti-DAL, the intensity of the peak at 3420 cm −2 can provide indirect evidence for the successful deposition of Ti-DAL onto the WO 3 film. Peaks around 2980 cm −1 are associated with the C−H stretching vibrations from the lactato ligands of Ti-DAL.…”

“…Peaks around 2980 cm −1 are associated with the C−H stretching vibrations from the lactato ligands of Ti-DAL. 32,33 The peak at 1630 cm −1 corresponds to the C�O stretching in Ti-DAL. 32,33 The observation of these phenomena can serve as indirect evidence supporting the successful deposition of Ti-DAL on the WO 3 films.…”

Effects of the morphology and diameter of TiO2 nanofibers as light-scattering layers on the efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells

“…Otieno, et al produced diameter TiO 2 nanofibers up to 140 nm with different electrospinning parameters i.e. polyvinyl pyrrolidone as matrix polymer, 25 kV applied voltage, and 1 ml h −1 flow rate [27]. Someswararo, et al have investigated the smooth and randomly distributed nanofibers with diameters 293, 226, 189, and 175 nm by applying voltages 8, 9, 10 and 11 kV using polyvinyl pyrollidone as a polymer matrix [28].…”

Synthesis of TiO2/WO3 Composite Nanofibers by a Water-Based Electrospinning Process and Their Application in Photocatalysis

“…In our previous study, we used a water-soluble precursor to prepare TiO 2 nanofibers by electrospinning [14]. The study presents the possibility of fabricating composite nanofibers from TiO 2 and other metal oxides in a one-step synthesis using electrospinning.…”