Nanofiber bundles and yarns production by electrospinning: A review

Abstract

Electrospinning is a versatile method for spinning various polymers into nanoscale fibers. Nanofibers produced by electrospinning or other methods show enhanced properties such as high surface area to volume ratio, flexibility in surface functionalities, and mechanical properties. To increase their practical usage and opening new windows for their innovative applications, theses nanofibers can be assembled into an ordered structure like yarn. Besides their intrinsic-based polymer characteristics, these nanofiber yarns have an exceptional high specific surface area as a heritage of their forming nanofibers. This unique property together with the increased number of fibers in an unit area of cross section will improve their some properties such as water and chemical absorbency and flexibility in comparison with conventional yarns. So far, miscellaneous methods are established for fabricating electrospun nanofibers into yarn and the effects of processing factors on the characteristics of produced nanofiber yarns are studied by many researchers. In this review, the achievements in nanofibers bundles and yarn production and different established methods including twisted, hybrid, and core types are discussed. It also reviews the reinforced yarns by carbon nanotubes and the mechanical properties of nanoyarns. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.