Synthesizing and Characterization of Monoclinic and Tetragonal Phases of Zirconium Oxide (Zro2) Nanofibers with the Aid of Electrospinning Technique

Zirconium oxide has found extensive applications in various industries because of its excellent properties such as high strength; high-temperature resistance; extraordinary wearing resistance; ionic conductivity; and corrosion resistance. Also, some Properties like high melting point, high mechanical and thermal strength, high dielectric constant and low conductivity have introduced this material as a prominent candidate for engineering applications. In this study, zirconium oxide (ZrO2) Nano fibers was synthesized by calcination of propoxide zirconium oxide/polyvinyl alcohol using sol-gel and electrospinning methods. The morphology of the Nano fibers was verified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and its crystalline phase was investigated by x-ray diffraction and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The mean diameter of the Nano fibers varied in the range of 70-200 nm. XRD patterns also indicated the presence of monoclinic and tetragonal phases in the Nano fibers calcined at 700 ℃. Results also revealed that this new precursor can be used in the electrospinning technique to obtain ZrO2 Nano fibers with relatively high purity.