| Summary: | The effect of the combination of glass and ceramic of the fabricated nanofibers on the morphological, structural, and photoluminescence properties has been evaluated. Sol-gel and electrospinning techniques were used to fabricate Er3+-doped SiO2-ZrO2/PVA nanofibers with varying concentrations of SiO2 and ZrO2. The nanofiber diameter ranged from 130 nm to 390 nm depending on the zirconia concentration and calcination temperature. The optimum concentration of the solution for electrospun fibers is important to stabilize the fibrous gel. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) intensity increased with increasing ZrO2 content, indicating the enhanced crystallinity of the nanofibers. The tetragonal phase at low temperatures can be attributed to the presence of rare-earth doping. The embedded ZrO2 nanocrystal in the amorphous SiO2 matrix contributed to the narrow photoluminescence emission. Er3+ luminescence is more intense in the higher content of ZrO2 samples. The variation of the peak intensity in Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicates the inclusion of ZrO2 content can alter the rigidity and connectivity of the SiO2 matrix. The absence of the OH- group in the FTIR spectra indicates that nanofibers have undergone complete densification. © School of Engineering, Taylor's University.
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