Effect of viscosity on the production of alumina borate nanofibers via electrospinning

Alumina borate (Al18B4O33) nanofibers have been successfully fabricated with the electrospinning method using a solution that contains polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and aluminium acetate stabilized with boric acid. The effect of the viscosity on the production of alumina borate nanofibers was investigated and the optimum parameters were determined to obtain the best fibers. DTA/TG analyses were performed to determine the heat-treatment regime. The morphology of the fibers was evaluated by SEM analyses, the phase structure of the fibers was obtained using XRD and the chemical bonding structure was determined by FTIR. On the whole, the results indicatedthat the viscosity of a solution is an important parameter for producing a homogeneous and thin fiber, while the calcination temperature has a significant effect on the phase structure of the fibers.