Morphology-controlled synthesis of Al/Fe₂O₃ nano-composites via electrospinning

In this article, nano-scale Al/Fe₂O₃ composites with different morphologies were successfully obtained by a simple electrospinning technique, which is based on a surfactant (polyvinyl pyridine, PVP) in a mixture of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and 2-propanol. The electrospun Al/Fe₂O₃ composites exhibited a crystal structure and phase composition by X-ray diffraction analysis. The different morphologies of the Al/Fe₂O₃ composites were also observed through scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the rather simple electrospinning method used to prepare the morphology-controlled Al/Fe₂O₃ composites may have the potential for preparation of propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics in the future.