SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERISATION OF ZNO-BASED NANOFIBRE MEMBRANES DOPED WITH ALUMINIUM AND COBALT USING THE ELECTROSPINNING METHOD

Electrospun ZnO-based nanofibre membranes doped with AlCl3 and CoAc were successfully fabricated for piezoelectric
nanogenerator applications. The PVA precursor solution was prepared by dissolving PVA in distilled water and then processed
using an electrospinning machine for 10 hours. Characterisation of the nanofibres was performed using scanning electron
microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared
Spectroscopy (FTIR) to examine the fibre and membrane properties. The SEM analysis revealed that the incorporation of Al
and Co influenced the fibre morphology and size. The EDX confirmed the presence of Al and Co in the nanofibre membranes.
The XRD results indicated that all the membranes exhibited an amorphous structure, while the FTIR analysis confirmed the
complete evaporation of the solvent during the spinning process. The presence of a metal-oxygen phase plays a crucial role
in analysing the crystal structure and piezoelectric characteristics of the material.