WO3 nanotubes prepared by a coaxial electrospinning method.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Inorganic Chemistry

Background:

• Tungsten trioxide (WO3) is a versatile material with applications in catalysis, gas sensing, and electrochromic devices.
• Developing controlled synthesis methods for nanostructured WO3 is crucial for enhancing its performance.
• Nanotubes offer a high surface area-to-volume ratio, beneficial for various applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize pure tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanotubes.
• To investigate the morphology and structural properties of the synthesized WO3 nanotubes.
• To establish an efficient fabrication method for WO3 nanostructures.

Main Methods:

• Coaxial electrospinning was employed to create core-shell structured composite fibers using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the core and PVA/AMT/alcohol as the shell.
• Calcination at 600 °C for 4 hours removed the PVA core, yielding nanotubes.
• Characterization was performed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM).

Main Results:

• The coaxial electrospinning method successfully produced uniform core-shell fibers.
• Calcination resulted in the formation of pure WO3 nanotubes with a rough surface composed of nanoparticles.
• XRD confirmed the pure WO3 phase with good crystallinity.
• FESEM and HRTEM revealed nanotubes with an approximate inner diameter of 100 nm and a wall thickness of 50 nm.

Conclusions:

• Coaxial electrospinning is an effective method for synthesizing pure WO3 nanotubes.
• The synthesized WO3 nanotubes possess controlled morphology and good crystallinity.
• This fabrication technique offers a promising route for producing nanostructured WO3 for advanced applications.