(322f) TiO2 Hollow Nanofibers Templated by Electrospun Polyethylene Oxide (PEO) Aqueous Solutions

A new and simple method of fabricating TiO₂ hollow nanofibers was developed using electrospinning jet. A viscous aqueous solution of polyethylene oxide (PEO) was electrospun and the elongated jets of the PEO solution were introduced into a titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP)-hexane solution. The hydrolysis reaction of TTIP induced at the interface between polymer aqueous solution and TTIP solution enabled the formation of hollow TiO2 nanofibers in submicron scale diameter. The dependence of the product morphology on the preparation conditions, such as the molecular weight of PEO, the concentration of PEO solution, and the voltage of electrospinning was investigated.