Preparation of Electrospun TiO₂ Using Nanosized TiO₂ and Liquid Titanate Compound

Twoapproaches were used to obtain electrospun TiO₂ fibres. Firstly,titania nanoparticles (nTiO₂) were included in the spinning solution, and electrospun composite fibres were produced. Secondly, fluidic titanium compound, tetra-n-butyl titanate, was added into the spinning solution, and electrospun blend fibres were obtained. Both fibre samples were calcinated at 500°C for one hour. Composite precursor fibres containing nTiO₂ lost their coherent structure during calcination, and a disintegrated fibre shaped assembly of nanoparticles was obtained, which had high surface area. According to XRD analysis both rutile and anatase forms of TiO₂ were present in these structures. Blend precursor fibres containing titanate, on the other hand, formed coherent, smooth fibres during calcination. These fibres had similar appearance to their precursor fibres, but had 32 % smaller diameters. The anatase form of TiO₂ was observed in XRD in titanate-based fibres. FTIR analyses indicate removal of most of the polymer from the structure during the heat treatment. TiO₂ structures can be used in many areas and fibrous structures obtained using titanate as TiO₂ precursor can also be beneficial for many applications.