Formation of beryllium oxide nanofibers by polyvinyl alcohol/beryllium sulfate/polyethyleneimine composite precursors

Abstract Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/beryllium sulfate (BeSO 4 ) precursor nanofibers are fabricated by electrospinning technique, mixing PVA aqueous solution with BeSO 4 salt. The productivity is increased by adding polyethyleneimine (PEI) with PVA/BeSO 4 spinning solution. The beryllium oxide (BeO) nanofibers are obtained by calcinating the PVA/BeSO 4 /PEI precursor nanofiber heated at 1000 °C or above. The crystallographic structure of BeO nanofibers is examined by X-ray diffraction. The thermal behaviors of the pure PVA nanofibers, BeSO 4 salt, and PVA/BeSO 4 /PEI precursor nanofibers are studied by thermogravimetry analysis. The BeO nanofiber diameters are reduced with the increase in calcination temperatures. The specific surface area of the PVA/BeSO 4 /PEI precursor nanofibers is around 36.9 m 2 g −1 , and that of the BeO nanofibers calcined at 1200 °C is about 11.9 m 2 g −1 . The pore properties deteriorate due to sintering and blockage as the calcination temperature increases. This work introduces mesoporous BeO nanofibers for the very first time.