Preparation and characterization of potassium sodium niobate nanofibers by electrospinning

Abstract In this work, we describe the electrospinning of (K,Na)NbO ₃ fibers and the effect of calcination temperature on the final phase composition. The envisaged application is for the fabrication of ferroelectric sensor hybrid materials. A solution of potassium acetate, sodium methoxide, and niobium ethoxide dissolved in methanol, acetylacetone, and acetic acid was mixed with polyvinylpyrrolidone ( PVP ) dissolved in methanol, producing a viscous solution for electrospinning. Confirmation that the proposed equation on the average diameter of fibers produced from high viscosity solutions was larger than that of a lower viscosity solution was made. A scanning electron microscopy ( SEM ) study showed the fibers to be cylindrical, smooth with diameters of around 400 nm and an aspect ratio >1000. The electrospun fibers were calcined from 700°C to 1050°C observing the fiber morphology. With increasing calcining temperature, the grain size increased. The calcined (K,Na)NbO ₃ nanofibers were brittle and generally found to display the “necklace effect.”