METAL NANOFIBERS

Metal nanomaterials possess unique physical and chemical properties and certain special functions compared with many other functional nanomaterials. Electrospun metal nanofibers show excellent thermal stability and conductivity and possess potential applications in photoelectricity, sensors, high temperature filtration, and other fields (Bognitzki et al., 2006; Hsu et al., 2012; Shao et al., 2011; Zhang et al., 2016c; Wu et al., 2007; Hansen et al., 2012). In 2006, Bognitzki et al. successfully prepared Cu nanofibers through a strategy involving an electrospinning technique followed by calcination in an air and H2 atmosphere. It was the first time that electrospun Cu nanofibers had been reported (Bognitzki et al., 2006). Later, Hsu et al. coated a passivation layer on electrospun Cu nanofibers (Fig. 3.12A). The results showed that the treated sample possessed superior durability as well as resistance over the bare Cu nanofibers. It is anticipated that the product can be applied as stable transparent electrodes (Hsu et al., 2012).