Rapid thermal processing of electrospun PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 nanofibers

•PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT) nanofiber mats by electrospinning and rapid thermal processing (RTP).•Detailed study of the mats thermal behavior by TGA/DTA/MS at different processing stages.•PZT nanofibers morphology and phase evolution.•Development of the environmentally friendly RTP of PZT nanofiber mats.

Electrospinning is potentially an effective way to prepare ceramic nanofibers using sol–gel precursors. However, the raw dried fibers require a sintering step that can lead to highly porous nanofibers or to a total loss of the fiber morphology. Generating dense sintered nanofibers via electrospinning is challenging, particularly in PZT fibers, where lead loss at high temperatures is amplified due to the large surface. This paper focuses on rapid thermal processing (RTP) of PZT nanofibers. The fibers thermal decomposition is studied in detail by TGA/DTA combined with mass spectroscopy and XRD. Pre-firing at 350 °C for 0.5 h is required for effective organics burnout. RTP for 30 s at 800 °C allows formation of the perovskite PZT phase, similar to conventional firing at 650 °C for 2 h. In summary, we demonstrated that a combination of pre-firing with RTP sintering can be used as an efficient and environmentally friendly process, leading to dense, smooth PZT nanofibers that are sensitive to deformation.