Noise pollution poses a considerable threat to human health with the rapid development of global industrialization; therefore, it is a growing demand worldwide for controlling noise. Due to the range of advantages of electrospinning and acoustic nanofibrous materials, this chapter focuses on the mechanism of sound absorption, classification of sound-absorbing materials, electrospun fibrous materials for sound absorption, and the effect of electrospinning parameters on sound absorption. It also guides further exploration of electrospun nanofibers in sound absorption applications.
With the advance of personalized medical devices, flexible wearable and implantable sensors can detect physiological signals accurately in real time, which have attracted increasing interest. Unfortunately, traditional sensors with three-dimensional (3D) architectures and large volumes face challenges when integrating into irregular and soft, dynamic tissues, resulting in unstable device–tissue interfaces. Electrospun nanofibers are promising candidates for fabricating nanofiber-based sensors due to their lightweight, high biocompatibility, safety, and matching mechanical properties such as bending stiffness with tissues. This chapter discusses the categories and mechanisms of developing flexible sensors, including mechanical sensors, temperature and humidity sensors, gas sensors, and electrochemical biosensors. By utilizing electrospun nanofibers, researchers are able to overcome the limitations of traditional sensors and create flexible sensors that are better suited for use in dynamic tissue environments.
Electrospun nanofibers show immense potential in biomedical materials because of the high porosity, small pore size, and large specific surface area of electrospun membranes. This chapter presents an overview of electrospinning nanofibers applied to wound dressings, tissue engineering scaffolds, and drug release carriers. By analyzing the present research achievements, application prospects, problems to be solved, and possible solutions, electrospinning is expected to play a more critical role in the biomedical field.
Electrospun nanofibrous membranes have better performance for air filtration than traditional filtration materials. Changing fiber morphology, membrane structure, and electrostatic properties is an effective way to realize the high efficiency and low resistance of nanofibrous membranes. Based on these methods, beaded fibers, porous fibers, cobweb structures, and gradient structures have been created and applied in the preparation of filter materials, playing an important role in separating particulate matter (PM). In order to further expand the application scenarios of nanofibrous membranes in the field of filtration, more and more functional nanofibrous membranes have been developed. Nanofibrous membranes based on electrospinning have become important materials in the field of air filtration.
Photocatalysis technology could efficiently harness solar energy to drive chemical reactions. The traditional nanoparticle photocatalyst is easy to agglomerate, easy to lose, and difficult to separate and recycle, which has the risk of secondary pollution. However, the electrospun nanofibers are characterized by small fiber diameter, small membrane aperture, large specific surface area, and high porosity, which can be used as the substrate of photocatalyst support and provide more photocatalytic reaction sites. Therefore, this chapter introduces the reaction principle of photocatalysis and the problems faced by photocatalysts. Further, the types and applications of electrospun photocatalysts are also introduced.
