Electrospinning process and characterization of PVP/hematite nanofibers

Abstract

Iron oxide (III) or also known as hematite gained their popularity of material science engineers due to its properties, including photocatalytic activity. Nowadays, some research is being carry out to confirm the potential use of Fe2O3 nanomaterials, in particular nanofibers and nanowires in such devices as chemical sensors, magnetic resonances, supercapacitors and transistors. Another important property of hematite is its stability, it has been proved that it is the most durable iron oxide type. Taking into consideration the above, the aim of this work was to produce composite nanofibers with polymer matrix using polyvinylpyrrolidone) with the doping phase of α-Fe2O3 (30% wt.) using combining method of sol-gel technique and electrospinning process. Final fiber mats were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), to determine the influence of iron oxide nanoparticles on the morphology of PVP/hematite nanofibers and UV-Vis spectroscopy to measure the optical properties of nanofibers and determine whether such obtained fibers can be used in manufacturing process of iron oxide (III) crystal nanowires.