Preparation and characterization of TiO2 nanofibers via using polylactic acid as template

A simple procedure is reported for the fabrication of TiO2 nanofibers via electrospinning technique using polylactic acid (PLA), tetrabutyl titanate, and hexafluoroisopropanol as a spinning solution. TiO2 nanofibers (600–700 nm in diameter), with bundled nanofibrils align in the fiber direction, are obtained from the calcination of the as‐spun TiO2/PLA composite nanofibers at 550°C. The structure and physicochemical property of generated nanofibers are elucidated by Fourier transform‐Infrared radiation spectrometer, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and Thermogravimetric‐differential thermal analysis, respectively. The photocatalytical activity of the TiO2 nanofibers is testified by quantifying the degradation of methylene orange. The result indicates that the TiO2 nanofibers with pure anatase phase, which are prepared at 550°C, shows an excellent photocatalytic activity. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013