Structural and electrical characterization of doped zirconia nanostructured fibres

Abstract

Pure and lithium-doped zirconia fibres have been produced using the electrospinning process. These fibres are seen to be mesoporous in nature and possess a dense outer skin that correlates with the existance of tetragonal structure. This tetragonal form exists in materials below a certain average grain size and also correlates well with capacitance retention, CV measurements and impedance response. During electrical performance, an initial irreversible solid electrolyte interface is believed to form and average grain size has a significant effect. This study suggests that in this mesoporous/skin form, electrospun zirconia fibres are promising energy storage materials.