Jayaraman Krishnan, Kotaki M, Zhang Yanzhong, Mo Xiumei, Ramakrishna S
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand.
J Nanosci Nanotechnol. 2004 Jan-Feb;4(1-2):52-65.
Polymer nanofibers, with diameters in the nanometer range, possess larger surface areas per unit mass and permit easier addition of surface functionalities compared with polymer microfibers. Hence, polymer nanofiber mats are being considered for use as filters, scaffolds for tissue engineering, protective clothing, reinforcement in composite materials and sensors. Although some of these applications are in the development stage, a few have been commercially exploited. Research on polymer nanofibers, nanofiber mats, and their applications has seen a remarkable growth over the last few years. However, a review of the various issues related to these nanofibers has not been published. This article presents a review of the recent trends in the processing methods and characterization techniques for polymer nanofibers. Research challenges and future trends in the processing and characterization of polymer nanofibers are discussed in the article. Five processing methods have been examined in this review, namely drawing, template synthesis, phase separation, self-assembly, and electrospinning. Among these methods, electrospinning has been used to convert a large variety of polymers into nanofibers and may be the only process that has the potential for mass production. The structure, morphology, and geometry of nanofibers and the porosity and tensile properties of nanofiber mats can be investigated through conventional techniques and instruments. But new techniques are needed for the mechanical testing of single nanofibers. Although measurement of mechanical properties such as tensile modulus, strength, and elongation is difficult because of the small diameters of the fibers, these properties are crucial for the proper use of nanofiber mats.
聚合物纳米纤维直径处于纳米范围，与聚合物微纤维相比，单位质量具有更大的表面积，且更易于添加表面功能基团。因此，聚合物纳米纤维毡正被考虑用作过滤器、组织工程支架、防护服、复合材料增强材料和传感器。尽管其中一些应用尚处于开发阶段，但已有少数实现了商业应用。在过去几年中，对聚合物纳米纤维、纳米纤维毡及其应用的研究有了显著增长。然而，尚未发表过对与这些纳米纤维相关的各种问题的综述。本文对聚合物纳米纤维的加工方法和表征技术的最新趋势进行了综述。文章还讨论了聚合物纳米纤维加工和表征方面的研究挑战及未来趋势。本综述考察了五种加工方法，即拉伸法、模板合成法、相分离法、自组装法和静电纺丝法。在这些方法中，静电纺丝已被用于将多种聚合物转化为纳米纤维，并且可能是唯一具有大规模生产潜力的工艺。纳米纤维的结构、形态和几何形状以及纳米纤维毡的孔隙率和拉伸性能可通过传统技术和仪器进行研究。但对单根纳米纤维进行力学测试需要新技术。尽管由于纤维直径小，测量拉伸模量、强度和伸长率等力学性能很困难，但这些性能对于纳米纤维毡的合理应用至关重要。
