Preparation of Electrospun Porous Alumina Nanofibers for Origami‐Inspired Manufacturing

Abstract

This article presents the fabrication of 3D shapes of alumina nanofibril sheets using origami‐inspired manufacturing. The fabrication process includes electrospinning of a composite precursor material for obtaining a nanofibril mat, which is shaped into 3D origami shapes using a sandwich method during a stabilization process. The 3D origami‐shaped precursor nanofibril sheet is calcinated at a high temperature to obtain the 3D origami shapes of alumina nanofibers. It is found that the pre‐calcination stabilization process plays a major role in determining the morphology of the resulting alumina nanofibers. A hot plate stabilization process leads to the formation of hollow alumina nanofibers during the calcination step, whereas oven stabilization results in a porous morphology of the alumina nanofibers. The oven stabilization is favorable for the origami alumina structures, as it allows uniform stabilization conditions. The alumina nanofibers are majorly mesoporous and feature a surface area ranging from 118 to 505 m2g−1. The compressive modulus of the alumina nanofibers exhibits a dependence on the precursor concentration and calcination temperature. The 3D origami structures of alumina nanofibers exhibit excellent structural stability at high temperatures. The high porosity and high‐temperature stability position alumina origami shapes as suitable candidates in many high‐temperature applications.