Continuous yarns from electrospun nanofibers - recent developments

Electrospinning is a versatile, simple and cost-effective technique for making continuous nanofibers of various synthetic and natural polymers with many potential applications in fields such as high-performance filters, tissue engineering scaffolds, wound dressings, composite reinforcement and other smart and functional textiles. Until recently, electrospun fibers were typically obtained as non-woven webs. A break-through development in our laboratorys allowed the production of continuous yarns of electrospun nanofibers by electrospinning onto a liquid reservoir collector. In this paper, this technique for making continuous yarns from electrospun nanofibers and recent developments in nanofiber yarn research will be discussed.