Nanofibers have gained immense traction in a variety of industries. This is mainly due to their unique properties like enhanced mechanical strength and high surface area-to-volume ratio.
Wondering about the future outlook of the nanofiber industry? According to Coherent Market Insights, the global nanofiber industry is set to exhibit a CAGR of 20.2% during the forecast period, totaling US$ 3259.5 million by 2030. This is due to increasing applications of nanofibers across diverse sectors.
Continuous advancements in nanofiber production technologies are leading to application of nanofibers in various fields’. These include medical devices, filtration systems, and energy storage solutions.
Advancements in Nanofiber Production Techniques
Nanofibers are produced using different techniques. These include electrospinning, phase separation, self-assembly, and others. Advances in these techniques have significantly increased the applications of nanofibers.
Electrospinning
Electrospinning is perhaps the most popular and widely used technique for the fabrication of nanofibers. This is due to its simplicity, versatility, and scalability. It involves applying a high-voltage electric field to a polymer solution, creating ultrafine fibers.
Recent advances have modified the basic setup of electrospinning, resulting in increasing productivity. They have improved the versatility and applicability of electrospinning methods in various fields.
- Needleless Electrospinning improves production scalability and efficiency for large-scale applications.
- Coaxial Electrospinning allows for the production of nanofibers for drug delivery and tissue engineering
- Multi-jet Electrospinning improves throughput while maintaining fiber uniformity.
Phase Separation in Nanofiber Production
It entails the controlled separation of different phases of a material to create nanofibrous structures. Recent advances have enhanced phase separation techniques for producing biodegradable nanofibers. Thermally induced phase separation is a popular example.
Self-assembly Nanofiber Fabrication
Self-assembly methods use molecular interactions to create ordered fiber structures. They rely on the natural ability of certain molecules to assemble into nanofibrous structures. DNA nanofiber formation and peptide-based self-assembly are popular examples. These techniques have expanded the application of nanofibers in biomedicine.
Melt-blowing Nanofiber Techniques
Melt blowing is a traditional fabrication method of micro- and nanofibers. In this technique, polymer melt is extruded through small nozzles surrounded by high speed blowing gas. Advancements in melt-blowing techniques have led to the production of fibers with significantly smaller diameters.
Biomimetic Nanofiber Fabrication
It includes creating nanofibers that mimic the structure and function of natural biological systems. These nanofibers are ideal for tissue engineering, drug delivery, and development of advanced biomaterials.
Applications of Nanofibers
- Biomedical Applications
Nanofibers are being used in different biomedical applications. These include tissue engineering, wound healing, and drug delivery. They are revolutionizing wound healing process owing to their ability to mimic extracellular matrix. Nanofibers are also ideal for making biomedical implants with improved biocompatibility.
- Filtration
Nanofiber-based filters are becoming popular. Nanofibers can be employed to filter out unnecessary particles from water and air.
- Energy Storage
Nanofibers are being used in energy storage devices like supercapacitors and batteries. This is due to their conductivity and high surface area.
- Catalysis
Nanofibers can be integrated into fabrics to improve their properties like breathability and water resistance.
- Catalysis
They also find application as catalysts in a variety of chemical reactions.
