Recent advances in ZrO2 nanofibers: From structural design to emerging applications

One-dimensional (1D) zirconium dioxide nanofibers (ZrO2 NFs), as an important inorganic material, have attracted significant attention because of their unique structural characteristics, outstanding chemical/thermal stability, and excellent optical/electronic properties. The biotemplate method, phase inversion method, centrifugal spinning, and electrospinning are facile and highly versatile approaches for the synthesis of ZrO2 NFs, which have great potential in many emerging applications, such as thermal insulation, air filtration, water purification, catalyst supports, dye-sensitized solar batteries, and lithium-ion batteries. In this review, strategies for synthesizing ZrO2 NFs with various structures, such as porous, hollow, layered, and even 3D self-assembled structures, are described and analyzed in detail. Recent revolutionary progress in mitigating the brittle nature of ceramics and constructing flexible ZrO2 NFs, as well as their deformation mechanisms, is also discussed. Then, achievements concerning the application fields of ZrO2 NFs in thermal insulation, environmental remediation, catalysis, and batteries are presented. Finally, we provide a comprehensive summary of the critical challenges and future perspectives on ZrO2 NFs. This review is envisioned to guide future research on novel ZrO2 NFs for emerging applications.