Preparation and characterization of Ga-doped TiO2 nanofibers by electrospinning

TiO2 can be used optically and is applied on many areas such as gas sensor, solar cell and photocatalysis. Electrospun nanofibers have received great interest for development and utilization in some novel applications, such as chemical sensors, dye-sensitized solar cell and photo catalysis. In this study, pure TiO2 and Ga-doped TiO2 nanofibers synthesized by a modified electrospinning method. The Ga doped TiO2 solution is prepared by mixing poly vinyl pyrrolidone, ethyl alcohol, and titanium (IV) isopropoxide. By electrospinning these sols, nanofibers were fabricated. These fibers are heat-treated at 800 degrees C in air. The prepared pure TiO2 and Ga-doped TiO2 nanofibers samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy.