Mesoporous Nanofibers from Extended Electrospinning Technique

One-dimensional(1D)mesoporous nanofibers(NFs)have recently attracted tremendous interest in different fields,in virtue of their mesoporous structure and 1D geometry.However,conventional electrospinning,as a versatile approach for producing 1D nanostructures,can only fabricate solid NFs without pores or with a microporous structure.In this review,we focus on the extensions of the electrospinning technique to create 1D mesoporous fibrous structures,which can be categorized into:(i)foaming-assisted,(ii)phase separation-induced,(iii)soft-templated,and(iv)monomicelle-directed approaches.Special focus is on the synthesis strategies of 1D mesoporous NFs,and their underlying mechanisms,with looking into the control over pore sizes,pore structures,and functionalities.Moreover,the structure-related performances of mesoporous NFs in photocatalysis,sensing,and energy-related fields are discussed.Finally,the potential challenges for the future development of 1D mesoporous fibers are examined from the viewpoint of their synthetic strategies and applications.