Microscopy of Metal Oxide Nanofibers

Using electrospinning we are able to produce a variety of metal oxide nanofibers (e.g., Al2O3, TiO2, ZnO) that are primarily of interest in high-temperature applications. In particular nanofibers are obtained from electrospinning a metal precursor solution mixed with organic polymers. Pure metal oxide nanofibers are then obtained by removing precursors by annealing. We study the surface morphology of these electrospun nanofibers using field-emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.