Continuous hollow alumina gel fibers by direct electrospinning of an alkoxide-based precursor

This work expands the field of view in ceramic fiber electrospinning, wherein ceramic fibers of hydrous alumina are directly electrospum from alkoxide-based precursors. The continuous fibrous bundles are produced with consistent tubular structures. The stability of the drawn fibers is dominated by the hydrolysis and condensation kinetics of the sol-gel precursor, which in parallel changes the processing parameter relationships found in traditional electrospinning. Here, we explore the nature and introduce the processing development of the sol-gel based fibers through electrospinning. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.