(488c) Fabrication, Characterization, and Electrical Properties of Ceramic Nanofiber Yarns by Electrospinning

It is more convenient to handle a bundle of nanofibers or nanofiber yarn instead of a single nanofiber. Nanofiber yarns are robust enough to be handled without the requirement of very precise, sophisticated equipment. They can be deposited or transferred onto a substrate as orderly structures. Yarns (twisted and aligned) of several semiconducting ceramic nanofibers (ZnO, NiO, CuO, SnO2) were synthesized using electrospinning method. These yarns had average diameter ~10-30 um and their constituent fibers had the average diameter ~60-100 nm. Fabrication, characterization, and electrical properties of these semiconducting nanofiber yarns will be presented.

Keywords: Nanofiber, ceramic nanofiber yarn, metal oxide semiconductor, zinc oxide (ZnO), nickel oxide (NiO), Copper oxide (CuO), Tin (IV) oxide (SnO2), electrical property measurement

*Corresponding Author Dr. G. G. Chase Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Microscale Physiochemical Engineering Center The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325-3906 TEL: 330-972-7943 FAX: 330-972-5856