Influence of PVP molecular weight on TiO₂ structures prepared by the electrospinning and sol–gel method

The main physicochemical properties of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) prepared by combination of electrospinning and sol–gel methods have been investigated in this study. A polymer solution of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), titanium (IV) butoxide, and acetylacetone in methanol was used and anatase TiO₂ phase was reached after thermal calcination at 425 °C. Different kind of characterizations were performed with the aim to analyze the main morphological, structural, and optical properties of the synthetized material. The main results show that the use of high molecular weight PVP easily promotes fiber formation by electrospinning, but if low molecular weight PVP is employed, electrospray is promoted instead of electrospinning producing nearly spherical particles. Additionally, it was observed that the average diameter of the structures is increased as the molecular weight is increased. The main results demonstrate that the morphological and structural characteristics of TiO₂ nanostructures can be modified trough the molecular weight of PVP.