Current Applied Physics, Vol.13, No.3, 581-586, 2013
Fabrication and characterization of bismuth oxide-holmia nanofibers and nanoceramics
In this article, a novel and simple method to produce both boron doped and undoped holmia stabilized bismuth oxide nanoceramic materials has been put forward. Boron doped and undoped poly ( vinyl alcohol)/bismuth-holmia acetate nanofibers were produced using the electrospinning technique and were calcined at 850 degrees C afterward in order to obtain nanopowder. The characteristics of the nanofibers were investigated with FT-IR, XRD, and SEM. XRD analyses showed that boron undoped holmia stabilized bismuth oxide nanopowders have the face-centered cubic structure (delta-phase), and that the incorporation of boron atoms into the composite prevents the nucleus formation and turns the structure into a more amorphous glassy form. The SEM micrographs of the fibers showed that the addition of boron results in the formation of cross-linked bright-surfaced fibers. The average fiber diameters for electrospun boron doped and undoped PVA/Bi-Ho acetate nanofibers were calculated using the ImageJ software as 102 nm and 171 nm, respectively. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.