Understanding the interplay of solution and process parameters on the physico-chemical properties of ZnO nanofibers synthesized by sol-gel electrospinning

Niranjan N Prabhu; B V Rajendra; S Anandhan; Krishna Murthy; R B Jagadeesh Chandra; Gibin George; B Sachin Kumar; B Shivamurthy

doi:10.1088/2053-1591/acead4

Materials Research Express (Jan 2023)

Understanding the interplay of solution and process parameters on the physico-chemical properties of ZnO nanofibers synthesized by sol-gel electrospinning

Niranjan N Prabhu,
B V Rajendra,
S Anandhan,
Krishna Murthy,
R B Jagadeesh Chandra,
Gibin George,
B Sachin Kumar,
B Shivamurthy

Affiliations

Niranjan N Prabhu: ORCiD; Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education , Manipal-576104, India
B V Rajendra: ORCiD; Department of Physics, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education , Manipal-576 104, Karnataka, India
S Anandhan: ORCiD; Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology-Karnataka, Srinivas Nagar, Mangalore 575025, India
Krishna Murthy: ORCiD; Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education , Manipal-576104, India
R B Jagadeesh Chandra: ORCiD; Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education , Manipal-576 104, Karnataka, India
Gibin George: ORCiD; Department of Mechanical Engineering, SCMS School of Engineering and Technology Vidya Nagar, Palissery, Karukutty, Ernakulam − 683 576, Kerala, India
B Sachin Kumar: ORCiD; Department of Mechanical Engineering, B.M.S. College of Engineering, Visvesvaraya Technological Universit y, Belagavi-590018, India
B Shivamurthy: ORCiD; Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education , Manipal-576104, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/acead4
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10, no. 8
p. 085001

Abstract

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Aging populations and the increase in chronic diseases worldwide demand efficient healthcare tools for simple, rapid, and accurate diagnosis and monitoring the human health. In this context, gas sensors are used to analyze the type of gas in the breath to diagnose chronic diseases. Metal oxide and ceramic nanofibers (NFs) produced by the electrospinning (ES) method have been investigated for potential use as gas sensors in the engineering and medical sectors. The material and process parameters are the main influencing factors on the functional performance of electrospun metal oxide NFs. Zinc oxide (ZnO) based NFs are used in various gas sensors due to the wide band gap (3.37eV), large exciton binding energy, and high mobility of charge carriers of ZnO. In this research, we made an attempt to study the effect of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and zinc acetate dihydrate (ZnAc _2 ) concentrations and feed rate, voltage, spinneret tip-to-collector distance (TCD), and pyrolysis temperature on the physical properties of ZnO NFs. An average fiber diameter of 119 nm was obtained after pyrolysis at 600 °C of electrospun fiber produced from an aqueous PVA solution of concentration 15 w% with 7.5 w% ZnAc _2 based on the weight of PVA. The grain size, transmittance, structural defects, and band gap energy of NFs were found to increase as a function of the pyrolysis temperature, which could be beneficial for the functional applications of these NFs.

Published in Materials Research Express

ISSN: 2053-1591 (Online)
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Technology: Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering: Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials; Technology: Chemical technology
Website: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/2053-1591

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