Electrospun ZnO Nanofibers Research Articles

Hybrid Photovoltaic Devices Based on Poly (3-hexylthiophene) and Ordered Electrospun ZnO Nanofibers

Hybrid photovoltaic devices based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and an ordered electrospun ZnO nanofibrous network have been investigated. The diameters of the ZnO nanofibers have been controlled within 30−150 nm. The performance of the P3HT/ZnO hybrid solar cell is dependent on fabrication conditions, especially the thickness of the nanofibrous film. It has been found that the lifetime of carriers is lower in the device consisting of thicker ZnO nanofibrous films due to the higher density of surface traps in the ZnO nanofibers. The device with optimum fabrication conditions exhibits a power conversion efficiency of 0.51%.

Hierarchical structured ZnO nanorods on ZnO nanofibers and their photoresponse to UV and visible lights

Hierarchical structured ZnO consisting of nanorods on electrospun nanofibers (ZnO nanorod-on-ZnO nanofiber) was prepared via hydrothermal reaction in the presence of hexamethylenetetramine. The density of the ZnO nanorods on electrospun ZnO nanofibers could be controlled by the concentration of the nutrient solution. The as-obtained ZnO nanorod-on-ZnO nanofiber hierarchical structure was assembled into electronic device with two Au electrodes for UV detection. After surface functionalization with N719 dye, the as-obtained ZnO nanorod-on-ZnO nanofiber nanomaterial could also be used as a visible light detector.

Aligned electrospun ZnO nanofibers for simple and sensitive ultraviolet nanosensors

The current of uni-axially aligned electrospun ZnO nanofibers is modulated reversibly under UV irradiation, with the sensitivity of the UV nanosensors depending on the surface coating of the nanofibers, due to the effect on the photo-generated current.

Dye-sensitized solar cells using network structure of electrospun ZnO nanofiber mats

Nanostructured semiconducting metal oxides and particularly nanofiber-based photoelectrodes can provide enhanced energy conversion efficiencies in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). In this study ZnO/poly(vinyl acetate) composite nanofiber mats were directly electrospun onto a glass substrate coated with F:SnO2, then hot pressed at 120°C and calcined at 450°C. This resulted in multiple nanofiber networks composed of a twisted structure of 200–500nm diameter cores with ∼30nm single grains. The DSSCs using ZnO nanofiber mats exhibited a conversion efficiency of 1.34% under 100mW∕cm2 (AM-1.5G) illumination.

Preparation of ZnS Nanofibers Via Electrospinning

Using an electrospinning technique coupled with a thermal treatment approach, ZnS nanofibers have been prepared by sulfurizing the electrospun ZnO nanofibers (as a template) at 500°C in an H2S atmosphere. The ZnS nanofibers, with a zinc‐blende structure, were found to be rough and uneven, which was considered to be correlated with the processing conditions. Band gap characteristic peaks mainly centered at 390 and 445 nm have been observed, corresponding to the purple and blue emission, respectively. The method demonstrated here could be a general approach of fabricating other one‐dimensional‐nanostructured sulfides for potential applications in nanoscale devices.

Preparation and characterization of ZnO nanofibers by electrospinning

Electrospun ZnO nanofibers were obtained by calcinating PVA/Zinc Acetate composite fibers at various temperatures. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) revealed that the ZnO fibers have diameters in the range of 100-200 nm. The fibers were characterized by FT- IR, TGA-DTA, and XRD studies. The XRD results showed that the crystal structure and the morphology of the fibers were largely dependent on the calcination temperature (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)