Water-soluble non-polymeric electrospun cyclodextrin nanofiber template for the synthesis of metal oxide tubes by atomic layer deposition

We report on the suitability of water-soluble non-polymeric electrospun cyclodextrin (CD) nanofiber templates by using atomic layer deposition (ALD) to yield metal oxide tubes. To demonstrate this, water-soluble electrospun CD nanofibers were chosen as template to produce metal oxide tubes where we have tested two examples of ALD coatings, namely, Al2O3 and ZnO. After the ALD coating on the CD nanofibers, the CD core is simply dissolved in water to yield metal oxide tubes. Morphological investigations suggested that Al2O3 is smoother in contrast to ZnO which shows a grainy structure. Structural characterization evidenced amorphous Al2O3 and highly crystalline ZnO. Given the applicability of Al2O3 and ZnO in various contexts the ionic states of Al, Zn and O are also investigated. After the washing step to remove the CD core, Al2O3 developed some hydroxylation, while ZnO hosts various oxygen related functional groups.