Aluminum Nitride Nanofibers fabricated using Electrospinning and Nitridation

Aluminum Nitride (AlN) and other nitride semiconductors are important materials in the fields of optoelectronics and electronics. AlN nanofibers were synthesized using electrospinning and subsequent heating under N$_{2}$ and NH$_{3}$ atmospheres. The precursor solution for electrospining contains aluminium nitrate and cellulose acetate. The electrospun nanofibers were heated in N$_{2}$ to eliminate the polymer and produce Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$, and then nitridized at a temperature of 1200\r{ }C under NH$_{3}$ flow. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observations demonstrate the production of fibers with diameters ranging from a few nanometers to several micrometers. X-Ray Diffraction and UV-VIs analyses show the production of AlN nanofibers with hexagonal wurzite structure and a band gap of approximately approximately 6 eV. Current-Voltage measurements on a single AlN fiber with gold electrodes suggest the formation of a Schottky contact The fabrication method and results from the fibers characterization will be presented.