Shamitha, C.Senthil, T.Wu, L.Kumar, B.Anandhan, S.2026-02-052017Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, 2017, 28, 21, pp. 15846-158609574522https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-017-7479-0https://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/25464ZnMn<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf> has application potential in lithium ion batteries, supercapacitors, sensors, and thermistors. In this study, mesoporous spinel ZnMn<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanofibers were synthesized by sol–gel assisted electrospinning combined with calcination, using poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) as sacrificial polymeric binder. Structural, morphological and optical properties of these ceramic nanofibers were characterized. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results revealed the presence of hexagonal ZnMnO<inf>3</inf> and MnO phases in the ZnMn<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanofibers produced. Based on these observations we propose a plausible mechanism of formation of ZnMn<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanofibers. The nanofibers calcined at 773 K exhibit a specific surface area of 79.5 m2 g?1, which is higher than that of the zinc manganite nanofibers synthesized hitherto by sol–gel electrospinning. Moreover, this material exhibits four bandgaps, which is believed to be the first observation in ZnMn<inf>2</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanofibers. © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.CalcinationElectrospinningLithium compoundsManganese oxideOptical propertiesSolsSpecific surface areaSpinning (fibers)StyreneX ray diffractionX ray photoelectron spectroscopyCeramic nanofibersElectrospunsMesoporousPlausible mechanismsPoly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile)Polymeric binderZnMn2O4Nanofibers