Nanostructured zirconium titanate fibers prepared by particulate sol-gel and cellulose templating techniques

In this paper, a method for cost-effective production of nanostructured zirconium titanate (ZrTiO₄) fibers is introduced. In this method, ZrTiO₄ fibers were synthesized by a sol-gel technique using cellulose fibers as the template. The resultant structures were studied by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses. The photocatalytic activity of the fiber was compared to that of ZrTiO₄ powders prepared by the same sol-gel method, in dark and under UVA and UVC radiations. According to the results, after calcination accompanied by the template removal, the ZrTiO₄ fiber consists of uniformly-deposited, crystalline nanoparticles. This nanostructured fiber exhibited a higher surface area and a higher porosity compared with the ZrTiO₄ powders, resulting in considerably higher photocatalytic characteristics, as confirmed by the experiment. The large surface area and the enhanced photocatalytic activity of the ZrTiO₄ fibers also offer applications in sensors and bioactive films.