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Updated: Jan 29, 2026
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Solvothermal Synthesis of MIL-96 and UiO-66-NH2 on Atomic Layer Deposited Metal Oxide Coatings on Fiber Mats
Published on: June 13, 2018
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Comparative Analysis of Annealing-Dissolution Techniques for Hollow Submicron Metal Oxide Fiber Synthesis
Borislava Georgieva1,2, Blagoy Spasov Blagoev1, Albena Paskaleva1,3
1Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tsarigradsko Chaussee, 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 28, 2026
Summary
Researchers created double-shell zinc oxide/aluminum oxide hollow fibers using electrospinning and atomic layer deposition. The method to remove the inner core significantly impacts fiber morphology, offering control for applications like sensing and catalysis.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Developing advanced nanomaterials with tailored morphologies is crucial for enhancing performance in sensing, catalysis, and filtration.
- Submicron hollow fibers offer high surface area and unique structural properties beneficial for various applications.
- Controlling the morphology of double-shell structures is challenging yet essential for optimizing material function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate double-shell zinc oxide/aluminum oxide (ZnO/Al2O3) submicron hollow fibers.
- To investigate the impact of different polymer core removal methods on the final fiber morphology.
- To explore the potential of these structures for applications requiring high surface area.
Main Methods:
- Combined electrospinning and atomic layer deposition (ALD) for fiber fabrication.
- Low-temperature ALD using trimethylaluminum (TMA) and deionized (DI) H2O for Al2O3 coating.
- Two distinct polymer core removal techniques: thermal annealing and water dissolution.
- Thermal ALD using diethylzinc (DEZ) and DI H2O for ZnO layer deposition.
Main Results:
- Successful fabrication of double-shell ZnO/Al2O3 submicron hollow fibers.
- Polymer removal method critically influenced fiber morphology: thermal annealing yielded smooth, shrunken fibers, while water dissolution resulted in expanded, rough, bubble-like structures.
- Water dissolution led to swelling-induced micro-cracking, increasing surface roughness and diameter.
- The choice of polymer removal technique provides precise control over fiber morphology.
Conclusions:
- The polymer removal method is a key factor in tailoring the morphology of ZnO/Al2O3 hollow fibers.
- The resulting high-aspect-ratio structures, especially the rough and expanded ones, possess enhanced specific surface areas.
- These tailored hollow fibers show significant promise for advanced applications in sensing, catalysis, and filtration.
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