Synthesis of praseodymium oxide nanofiber by electrospinning

Well-defined and uniform Pr6O11 nanofibers were synthesized by electrospinning of an aqueous sol–gel consisting of praseodymium nitrate hexa-hydrate and polyvinyl acetate. The synthesized Pr6O11 nanofibers mat was dried at 80 °C for 24 h under vacuum and finally annealed at 600 °C for 2 h in static air furnace. From crystalline properties, the synthesized Pr6O11 nanofibers XRD analysis revealed the typical cubic structure. The morphological observation showed that the synthesized Pr6O11 nanofibers composed of fibers length in several 100 nm and diameter of ∼20 nm. Similarly, transmission electron microscope (TEM) measurement revealed the good crystalline nature of the synthesized Pr6O11 nanofibers with the average diameter of ∼20 nm. Photoluminescence (PL) demonstrated a strong green–blue emission peak at 521 nm, suggesting that the Pr6O11 nanofiber exhibited good crystal quality with very less structural defects.

► The present work demonstrates for the first time the synthesis of Pr6O11 nanofibers by electrospinning method.
► The synthesized Pr6O11 nanofibers were characterized by SEM, XRD, TEM and TG-DTA analysis.
► XRD and TEM analysis revealed the cubic structure of Pr6O11 nanofibers with good crystallinity having diameter ∼20 nm.
► The ultra-violet visible (UV–vis) spectroscopic results demonstrate that synthesized material has good optical properties.
► PL shows a strong green–blue emission peak at 521 nm suggesting the good crystal quality of Pr6O11 nanofiber.