Continuous Pearl-Necklace-Shaped In₂O₃ Ceramic Nanofibers: Preparation, Characterization and Gas Sensing Properties

Abstract

Continuous pearl-necklace-shaped In₂O₃ ceramic nanofibers with diameters around 30∼100 nm have been fabricated by electrospinning combined with annealing process used indium nitrate and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) as raw materials. The specific surface area of In₂O₃ ceramic nanofibers comes up to 100 m²/g. The morphology and chemical structure of the as-prepared and calcined samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. The gas sensor fabricated by In₂O₃ ceramic nanofibers sintered at 700°C has special gas sensing properties including high response and selectivity, fast response and recovery time to ethanol gas.