Fabrication of bismuth ferrite nanofibers via electrospinning

Bismuth ferrite (BFO) has attracted great attention not only because it´s potential applications as multiferroic material in the spintronics and in micro-electromechanical system but also because of its photo-electronic behavior in energy harvesting. In this investigation we report the fabrication of multiferroic BFO nanofibers via electrospinning. Bismuth ferrite nanofibers were deposited on oxidized silicon and quartz substrates using sol-gel based electrospinning technique. The diameter of the fibers was well controlled by varying the molarity ratio of the precursor solution. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results showed a combination of Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ valence states in the fibers. Rutherford back scaterring spectroscopy (RBS) result showed a stoichiometry composition after heat treatment. Both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images revealed that the fibers diameter is uniform ranging from 15 to 100nm and several microns in length.