Electrospinning versus fibre production methods: from specifics to technological convergence

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Nanofiber research is rapidly expanding across diverse scientific and industrial sectors.
• Electrospinning is a primary method for nanofiber fabrication, with extensive academic study.
• Current nanofiber production struggles with scalability, hindering widespread adoption.

Observation:

• Numerous novel nanofiber synthesis methods are reported, but few address industrial scale-up.
• Despite significant investment, nanofiber production capacity remains insufficient for market demand.
• Historical parallels exist in the textile industry's challenges with scaling synthetic fiber production.

Findings:

• This review synthesizes interdisciplinary knowledge from academia and industry to address the scale-up challenge.
• It examines electrospinning and alternative nanofiber forming methods within the context of large-scale production.
• Key parameters in nanofiber spinning overlap with those extensively studied in industrial fiber processing.

Implications:

• Facilitating technological convergence between novel nanofiber methods and industrial textile processing knowledge.
• Providing insights and a comparative analysis of conventional and contemporary fiber forming technologies for scale-up.
• Stimulating research focus on scale-up challenges alongside new developments and applications in nanofiber technology.