Titanium Dioxide Nanofibers through Forcespinning

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofibers with potential applications in the fabrication of dye sensitized solar cells, photocatalysts, gas sensors, and water treatment systems, among others, have been produced at large yield rates utilizing the Forcespinning (FS) technology. This study presents the results of research performed to determine optimal processing parameters to create TiO2 nanofibers at a high production rate. The effects of polymer concentration and angular velocity on fiber formation, yield rate, average fiber diameter, and homogeneity of the nanofibers were studied. Scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction analysis were conducted on the produced systems. The developed homogeneous, bead-free, continuous nanofibers were subsequently heat treated under different calcination conditions. The resultant TiO2 fibers were characterized to determine the correlation between the occurrence of anatase and/or rutile phases, the heat treatment conditions, and other adjustable parameters.