Electrospun nanofibers for biomedical applications

Abstract Electrospinning has been revolutionized as an efficient process to prepare nanofibers from polymer solutions. It is a highly scalable process with a range of parameters which can be tuned to affect the outcome of the fiber properties. Therefore, proper control of these parameters is necessary to achieve the desired fiber morphologies and diameters. The resulting nanofibers have special features, such as high surface area to volume ratio and can form mats/fleeces with high porosity, which makes them attractive for many applications, such as in air filtration, water treatment, electronics, textile industry, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound healing. In this chapter, we present a concise introduction to the electrospinning technique and its application in drug delivery, tissue engineering, and wound healing. For instance, we illustrate the efficacy of electrospun nanofibers in mimicking the structure of the native extracellular matrix, revealing the importance of this technology. Other issues such as technology challenges, limitations, regulatory aspects, and possible future trends are also discussed.