Synthesis of ZnO nanofibers by the electrospinning process

ZnO nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning of a solution containing ZnO precursor, polyvinylpyrrolidone and solvent. The polymeric component of nanofibers were completely decomposed, thanks to the calcinations process (from 350 to 650 degrees C), so to obtain polycrystalline ZnO nanofibers. The crystallinity of ZnO nanofibers improved with higher annealing temperature. The mean diameter of the ZnO nanofibers after an annealing at 550 degrees C resulted similar to 50 nm. Furthermore, we investigated the zinc oxide nanofibers doubling the amount of zinc acetate in the starting solution. The as-spun and annealed ZnO/polyvinylpyrrolidone composite fibers were morphologically and structurally characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analyses, and UV/vis optical characterization. The possible application of the synthesized nanofibers as photocatalytic material for water treatment was checked, too. These results are reported and discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.