Preparation of Magnesium Aluminate Spinel Nanofibers with High Temperature Resistance by Electrospinning Process Based on Non-Hydrolytic Sol-Gel Method

Abstract The magnesium aluminum spinel nanofibers are prepared by non-hydrolytic sol-gel and electrospinning methods using MgCl2 and AlCl3 as raw materials and PVP as spinning aid. The formation process of magnesium aluminum spinel nanofibers and the effect of calcination temperatures on the nanofibers are explored. The results show that magnesium chloride alkoxide and aluminum chloride alkoxide are formed after the addition of AlCl3 and MgCl2 into EtOH, respectively. The Mg–O–Al gel network is formed by the non-hydrolytic condensation reaction between the metal chloride alkoxides. The precursor fibers are synthetized using the electrospinning process. After calcination at 600°C, the nanofibers with magnesium aluminum spinel phase can be obtained and their average diameter is about 240 nm. When the precursor fibers are calcined at 1000 and 1300°C, the fibers are still continuous, smooth, and their diameter distribution is uniform. When the precursor fibers are subjected to the calcination temperature of 1600°C, the samples still maintain fibrous structure although the surface of fibers is rough. It indicates that the magnesium aluminum spinel nanofibers have excellent high temperature resistance.