Rapid thermal processing of electrospun PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 nanofibers

Abstract

Electrospinning is potentially an effective way to prepare ceramic nanofibers using sol–gel precursors. However, the raw dried fibers require a sintering step that can lead to highly porous nanofibers or to a total loss of the fiber morphology. Generating dense sintered nanofibers via electrospinning is challenging, particularly in PZT fibers, where lead loss at high temperatures is amplified due to the large surface. This paper focuses on rapid thermal processing (RTP) of PZT nanofibers. The fibers thermal decomposition is studied in detail by TGA/DTA combined with mass spectroscopy and XRD. Pre-firing at 350°C for 0.5h is required for effective organics burnout. RTP for 30s at 800°C allows formation of the perovskite PZT phase, similar to conventional firing at 650°C for 2h. In summary, we demonstrated that a combination of pre-firing with RTP sintering can be used as an efficient and environmentally friendly process, leading to dense, smooth PZT nanofibers that are sensitive to deformation.