Experimental and Theoretical NANOTECHNOLOGY (ETN) abbreviated as Exp. Theo. NANOTECHNOLOGY is a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed and open access journal. It includes specialized research papers, short communications, reviews and selected conference papers in special issues on the characterization, synthesis, processing, structure and properties of different principles and applications of nanotechnology with focus on advantageous achievements and applications for the specialists in engineering, chemistry, physics, materials science and medicine. ETN covers and publishes all aspects of fundamental and applied researches of experimental and theoretical nanoscale technology dealing with materials synthesis, processing, nanofabrication, nanoprobes, spectroscopy, properties, biological systems, nanostructures, nanoelectronics, nano-optics, nano-mechanics, nanodevices, nanobiotechnology, nanomedicine, nanotoxicology within the scope of the journal. ETN aims to acquire the recent and outstanding researches for the benefit of the human being.
The anatase TiO2 nanofibers of average diameters 60, 100, and 150 nm were fabricated by controlled electrospinning of a polymeric solution and subsequent sintering of the as-spun fibers. The sintered fibers were polycrystalline and composed of densely packed TiO2 grains of size ∼12 nm. The rutile phase nucleated at the particle interface of the dense anatase TiO2 nanofibers at a temperature of <570 °C because of the increased surface stress observed in these nanofibers. X-ray and electron diffraction measurements and analysis of the sintered fibers showed that the lattice strain increased with a decrease in the fiber diameter. The diameter-dependent lattice strain is attributed to the increased surface energy in fibers of lower diameter. The strain most likely originates from interplay of the surface charge and grain boundary effects. The absorption spectra of the fibers showed a red shift with an increase in the fiber diameter, which is attributed to an increase in the surface stress with a decrease in the fiber diameter.
Keywords: Optical; Metal oxide; Nanofiber.