Abstract
This study reports an innovative method of electrospinning followed by pyrolysis to synthesize zirconium tungstate (ZrW2O8), a material with negative coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), in ultra-thin fiber form. Morphologies and microstructures of the as-electrospun precursor fibers, the heat-treated intermediate fibers, and the final ZrW2O8 ultra-thin fibers were characterized by SEM, XRD, and TEM. The ZrW2O8 ultra-thin fibers had diameters in the sub-micrometer range with aspect ratios larger than 100; these fibers were polycrystalline, and consisted of single crystalline ZrW2O8 crystallites with sizes of 30-50 nm and surface roughness of several nanometers. The ZrW2O8 ultra-thin fibers are expected to outperform spherically, cylindrically, and/or irregularly shaped polycrystalline ZrW2O8 particles for the development of composites with precisely controlled CTEs. Additionally, this reported method could be utilized as a general approach to convert nano-scaled inorganic particles into fibers.