Discover new and emerging applications of polymer nanofibers alongside the basic underlying science and technology. With discussions exploring such practical applications as filters, fabrics, sensors, catalysts, scaffolding, drug delivery, and wound dressings, the book provides polymer scientists and engineers with a comprehensive, practical "how-to" reference. Moreover, the author offers an expert assessment of polymer nanofibers' near-term potential for commercialization. Among the highlights of coverage is the book's presentation of the science and technology of electrospinning, including practical information on how to electrospin different polymer systems.

Multiscale Fibrous Scaffolds in Regenerative Medicine, by Sowmya Srinivasan, R. Jayakumar, K. P. Chennazhi, Erica J. Levorson, Antonios G. Mikos and Shantikumar V. Nair; Stem Cells and Nanostructures for Advanced Tissue Regeneration, by Molamma P. Prabhakaran, J. Venugopal, Laleh Ghasemi-Mobarakeh, Dan Kai Guorui Jin and Seeram Ramakrishna; Creating Electrospun Nanofiber-Based Biomimetic Scaffolds for Bone Regeneration, by Eleni Katsanevakis, Xuejun Wen and Ning Zhang; Synthetic/Biopolymer Nanofibrous Composites as Dynamic Tissue Engineering Scaffolds, by J. A. Kluge and R. L. Mauck; Electrospun Fibers as Substrates for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration, by Jörg Mey, Gary Brook, Dorothée Hodde and Andreas Kriebel; Highly Aligned Polymer Nanofiber Structures: Fabrication and Applications in Tissue Engineering, by Vince Beachley, Eleni Katsanevakis, Ning Zhang, Xuejun Wen; Electrospinning of Biocompatible Polymers and Their Potentials in Biomedical Applications, by Pitt Supaphol, Orawan Suwantong, Pakakrong Sangsanoh, Sowmya Srinivasan, Rangasamy Jayakumar and Shantikumar V. Nair; Electrospun Nanofibrous Scaffolds-Current Status and Prospects in Drug Delivery, by M. Prabaharan, R. Jayakumar and S. V. Nair.; Biomedical Applications of Polymer/Silver Composite Nanofibers, by R. Jayakumar, M. Prabaharan, K. T. Shalumon, K. P. Chennazhi and S. V. Nair.-

This volume deals with the various fabrication techniques, surface functionalization and biomedical applications of polymeric fibers possessing different scale and structure. It provides an overview of fabrication techniques such as Co-axial, Centrifugal, Melt and Yarning to procure multiscale, tubular and layered fibrous scaffold employed for biomedical applications. The chapters in this volume discusse the surface/chemical functionalization of fibers which enhance the biological properties of the fibrous scaffolds as well as the development of hybrid, layered and external stimuli-responsive fibrous scaffolds that hold potential application in biosensor and other biomedical fields. In addition, recent advances and applications of polymeric multiscale fibers in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and drug delivery are presented. The potential use of fibrous scaffolds in bone, neural, tendon/ligament and cardiac tissue engineering, nanofibers as an antimicrobial wound dressing, employed in cancer theragnostics and in the treatment of skin/periodontal infections are discussed. The volume provides expert knowledge on the fabrication techniques, development of different scale and hybrid structure fibers, surface functionalization, layered and external stimuli responsive fibrous scaffolds. It will be beneficial to material/biomaterials scientists, bioengineering and biotechnologists by providing a better understanding on the subject of the innovative applications of fibrous scaffolds in drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound dressings and regenerative medicine.

Polymeric Nanofibers and their Composites: Recent Advances and Applications covers the fundamentals, synthesis, characterization, properties, and applications of natural and synthetic nanofibers and their related composites. The book covers industrial, biological, and environmental applications, including biomedical, wastewater treatment, energy storage and conversions, gas adsorption, supercapacitors, electrocatalysis, electronics, sensors, batteries, fuel cells, solar cells, water splitting, catalysis, separation, and purification. With an international author base, this book can be considered a valuable reference resource for academic and industrial researchers, materials scientists, and engineers, and all those working in the fabrication of nanofibers, design of nanomaterials, and polymers, composites, and their related industrial applications. - Covers a broad spectrum of nanofibers with particular emphasis on natural nanofibers and their related composites - Provides detailed information on synthesis methods - Reviews advantages and disadvantages including natural and synthetic nanofibers - Focuses on advanced industrial scale developments including current challenges in manufacturing - Discusses industrial, biological, and environmental applications

Polymeric Nanofibers will showcase recent developments in the production, characterization, and emerging use of nanofibers made from different polymers for a variety of purposes. Although it has been difficult to produce polymer fibers in the laboratory, electrospinning now makes it easier. Electrospinning, an electrohydrodynamical process for making thin polymer fibers with diameters in the range from around one nanometer to several thousands of nanometers, is simple and cost effective. Interest in other specialized routes to polymer nanofibers, including chemical synthesis, conventional textile fiber spinning, gas blowing, and other methods has been stimulated by the recent progress in electrospinning. Scientists and engineers in fields such as filtration, biomaterials, biomedical devices, chemical analysis, catalysis, aerospace, fiber reinforced composites, energy conversion, protective clothing, agriculture, and others can produce experimental quantities of nanofibers in their own laboratories, from a wide variety of polymers of interest to them. The number of papers and patents in electrospinning has grown at a rapid rate during the past decade, more than doubling each year since 1999.

Conjugated polymer composites with high dielectric constants are being developed by the electronics industry in response to the need for power-grounded decoupling to secure the integrity of high-speed signals and to reduce electromagnetic interference. Electrically conducting polymers are materials that simultaneously possess the physical and chemical properties of organic polymers and the electronic characteristics of metals. Multifunctional micro- and nanostructures of conjugated polymers, such as of pyrrole, have received great attention in recent years because they can polymerize easily and have high conductivity and good thermal stability. They, however, have some disadvantages such as brittleness and hard processability, which can be overcome by developing their nanocomposites. Nanofiber materials with different dielectric properties can be made from conjugated polymer composites and used in the electronics industry, in sensors and batteries, for electrical stimulation to enhance nerve-regeneration process, and for constructing scaffolds for nerve tissue engineering. Electrospinning is a versatile technique that is used to produce ultrathin continuous fibers with high surface-to-volume and aspect ratios from a variety of materials, including polymers, composites, and ceramics. Conductive materials in fibrillar shape may be advantageous compared with films because of their inherent properties such as anisotropy, high surface area, and mechanical strength. They are of particular interest in electroactive composites as they can be efficiently distributed in an insulating polymer matrix to improve both electrical and mechanical properties. Combination of electrical properties with good mechanical performance is of particular interest in electroactive polymer technology. This book covers the general aspects of electrospinning and discusses the fundamental concepts that can be used to produce nanofibers with the help of mathematical models and equations. It also details the methods through which different polymeric structures can be included in conjugated polymers during electrospinning to form composites or blends of conjugated polymer nanofibers.

Discussing the electrospinning process, the book covers in great depth the current research interest in nanoscience and nanotechnology, especially electrospinning of polymer nanofibers. The main distinction of the proposed book from others devoted to the electrospinning process is in the consideration of the problem in question from the physical point of view. Focusing on physical aspects, the book contains physical basics regarding the unique features of electrospun polymer nanofibers and the electrospinning resulting in fabrication of these nanofibers.