Nanofiber technology: current status and emerging developments

作者：Kenry Kenry, Chwee Teck Lim · 发表于：Progress in Polymer Science · 年份：2017 · DOI：10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2017.03.002 · 被引用次数：861 · 研究领域：Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications、Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials、Supercapacitor Materials and Fabrication

Nanofibers have emerged as exciting one-dimensional nanomaterials for a broad spectrum of research and commercial applications owing to their unique physicochemical properties and characteristics. As a class of nanomaterials with cross-sectional diameters ranging from tens to hundreds of nanometers, nanofibers possess extremely high specific surface area and surface area-to-volume ratio. They are capable of forming networks of highly porous mesh with remarkable interconnectivity between their pores, making them an attractive choice for a host of advanced applications. In fact, the significant impact of nanofiber technology can be traced from the wide range of fundamental materials that can be used for the synthesis of nanofibers. These include natural polymers, synthetic polymers, carbon-based materials, semiconducting materials, and composite materials. Correspondingly, the emerging proof-of-concept applications of nanofibers spanning several important areas have been rapidly reported. This Review explores the current status and up-and-coming development of nanofiber technology, with an emphasis on its syntheses and applications. First, we highlight the current and emerging strategies used in synthesizing nanofibers. We briefly introduce the various established nanofiber synthesis techniques, especially the electrospinning method. We then focus on the emerging nanofiber synthesis strategies, such as solution blow spinning, centrifugal jet spinning, and electrohydrodynamic di...