George, G.Anandhan, S.2026-02-052014RSC Advances, 2014, 4, 107, pp. 62009-62020https://doi.org/10.1039/c4ra11083hhttps://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/26572In this study, nickel oxide (NiO) nanofibres were obtained by a sol-gel electrospinning process followed by calcination from an aqueous sol of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)/nickel acetate tetrahydrate. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to determine the degradation temperature of the composite fibres, so as to get nickel oxide nanofibres. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction studies revealed the complete elimination of the organic phase from NiO fibres during calcination. The change in grain size with calcination temperature was determined by X-ray diffraction. The defects in fibres resulted in the modification of their Raman spectra as compared with that of a single crystal. The magnetic properties of the fibres were reduced as the calcination temperature was increased; this is due to the presence of non-stoichiometric defects. As the calcination temperature was increased, the amount of defects was reduced, which induced a difference in the band gap energy of the fibres. Sensitivity of the NiO fibres towards five different alcohols was studied, and the sensitivity towards ethanol was the highest. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2014.CalcinationDefectsEnergy gapFibersNanofibersNickelNickel oxideOrganometallicsSingle crystalsSol-gel processSol-gelsThermogravimetric analysisX ray diffractionCalcination temperatureComposite fibresDegradation temperaturesElectrospinning processNickel oxides (NiO)Non-stoichiometricPoly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)X-ray diffraction studiesX ray photoelectron spectroscopy