(195e) Control of Oxide Ceramic Fiber Crystallinity, Grain Size and Morphology

Literature shows that the performance of ceramic oxides in different applications depends upon morphology, crystallinity and grain size. One-dimensional ceramic oxide nanofibers are being used in a variety of applications and understanding how to control their crystallinity and grain could improve their performance. The aim of this work is to explore grain growth (both normal and abnormal growth) and crystallinity of oxide ceramic nanofiber and develop a mechanism describing grain growth phenomena in 1-D morphology. Details on the grain growth in one-dimensional structures of titanium and aluminum oxide will be presented. The structures are produced from electrospun materials that are subsequently calcined under different conditions. Crystallinity and grain size are determined by X-ray diffraction. Fiber size and morphology is determined by SEM. The relationship between crystallinity, grain size, and nanofiber size and the resulting UV/Vis absorption characteristics will also be presented.