Synthesis and optical properties of co-doped ZnO submicrometer tubes from electrospun fiber templates.

Submicrometer ZnO tubes have been synthesized by a polymer based template approach using sol-gel deposition. Zinc acetate, a precursor to ZnO, was deposited on catalytically active electrospun polycarbonate fibers approximately 250+/-100 nm in diameter. Thermal degradation of the core fibers resulted in the oxidation of zinc acetate to produce ZnO nanotubes with diameters of approximately 500+/-100 nm and an average wall thickness of approximately 100+/-50 nm.

Fabrication and thermal analysis of submicron silver tubes prepared from electrospun fiber templates.

Submicron silver tubes have been synthesized by a polymer-based template approach. Two different approaches to metallization, electroless deposition and exchange plating, were evaluated within the template approach. Silver films with average thickness approximately 50-100 nm were deposited on polycarbonate fibers approximately 400 nm in diameter by each technique, resulting in tubes with a diameter between 450 and 500 nm after thermal degradation of core fibers.

Sub-micrometer-sized metal tubes from electrospun fiber templates.

Metallic tubes have been synthesized by a polymer-based template approach using electroless deposition. Gold, copper, and nickel were deposited as thin films on sub-micrometer polymer fibers which ranged in diameter from approximately 160 to 400 nm. After thermal degradation of the template fibers at 300 and 650 degrees C, tubes between 450 and 730 nm were obtained with wall thicknesses of 50-150 nm.