Electrospun Semiconductor-Based Nano-Heterostructures for Photocatalytic Energy Conversion and Environmental Remediation:Opportunities and Challenges

Harvesting solar energy to drive the semiconductor photocatalysis offers a promising tactic to address ever-growing challenges of both energy shortage and environmental pollution.Design and synthesis of nano-heterostructure photocatalysts with controllable components and morphologies are the key factors for achieving highly efficient photocatalytic processes.Onedimensional(1D)semiconductor nanofibers produced by electrospinning possess a large ratio of length to diameter,high ratio of surface to volume,small grain sizes,and high porosity,which are ideally suited for photocatalytic reactions from the viewpoint of structure advantage.After the secondary treatment of these nanofibers through the solvothermal,gas reduction,in situ doping,or assembly methods,the multi-component nanofibers with hierarchical nano-heterostructures can be obtained to further enhance their light absorption and charge carrier separation during the photocatalytic processes.In recent years,the electrospun semiconductorbased nano-heterostructures have become a“hot topic”in the fields of photocatalytic energy conversion and environmental remediation.This review article summarizes the recent progress in electrospinning synthesis of various kinds of high-performance semiconductor-based nano-heterostructure photocatalysts for H2 production,CO_(2) reduction,and decomposition of pollutants.The future perspectives of these materials are also discussed.

Bimetallic ZIFs-derived electrospun carbon nanofiber membrane as bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst for rechargeable zinc-air battery

The recharged zinc-air battery(ZAB) has drawn significant attention owing to increasing requirement for energy conversion and storage devices.Fabricating the efficient bifunctional oxygen catalyst using a convenient strategy is vitally important for the rechargeable ZAB.In this study,the bimetallic ZIFs-containing electrospun(ES) carbon nanofibers membrane with hierarchically porous structure was prepared by coaxial electrospinning and carbonization process,which was expected to be a bifunctional electrocatalyst for ZABs.Owing to the formed dual single-atomic sites of Co-N_(4) and Zn-N_(4),the obtained ES-Co/ZnCNZIFexhibited the preferable performance toward oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) with E1/2of 0.857 V and JLof 5.52 mA cm^(-2),which were more than Pt/C.Meanwhile,it exhibited a marked oxygen evolution reaction(OER) property with overpotential of 462 mV due to the agglomerated metallic Co nanoparticles.Furthermore,the ZAB based on the ES-Co/Zn-CNZIFcarbon nanofibers membranes delivered peak power density of 215 mW cm^(-2),specific capacity of 802.6 mA h g^(-1),and exceptional cycling stability,far larger than Pt/C+RuO_(2)-based ZABs.A solid-state ZAB based on ES-Co/Zn-CNZIFshowed better flexibility and stability with different bending angles.

Electrospun gelatin/chitosan nanofibers containing curcumin for multifunctional food packaging

Recently,food grade nanofiber-based materials have received growing attentions in food packaging.In this work,novel active and intelligent packaging nanofibers based on gelatin/chitosan with curcumin(GA/CS/CUR)were developed via electrospinning technique.Effects of the incorporation of CUR content(0.1%-0.3%,m/m)on the microstructure and functional properties of the electrospun nanofibers were investigated.Morphological studies using scanning electron microscopy indicated that loading CUR can affect the average diameter of nanofiber mats,which remained around 160-180 nm.The addition of an appropriate level CUR(0.2%,m/m)led to a stronger intermolecular interaction,and thus enhanced the thermal stability and tensile strength of the obtained nanofibers.Meanwhile,the incorporation of CUR significantly improved antioxidant activity and the antimicrobial activity of GA/CS/CUR nanofibers.Moreover,the sensitivity of nanofibers to ammonia results indicated that GA/CS nanofibers containing 0.2%CUR(GA/CS/CURⅡ)presented high sensitivity of colorimetric behavior to ammonia(within 3 min).These results suggest GA/CS/CURⅡnanofibers has great potential as a multifunctional packaging to protect and monitor the freshness of proteinrich animal foods,such as meat and seafood.

Design and criteria of electrospun fibrous scaffolds for the treatment of spinal cord injury

The complex pathophysiology of spinal cord injury may explain the current lack of an effective therapeutic approach for the regeneration of damaged neuronal cells and the recovery of motor functions. Many efforts have been performed to design and develop suitable scaffolds for spinal cord regeneration, keeping in mind that the reconstruction of a pro-regenerative environment is the key challenge for an effective neurogenesis. The aim of this review is to outline the main features of an ideal scaffold, based on biomaterials, produced by the electrospinning technique and intended for the spinal cord regeneration. An overview of the poly- mers more investigated in the production of neural fibrous scaffolds is also provided.

CONTROL OF DIMENSIONAL STABILITY AND DEGRADATION RATE IN ELECTROSPUN COMPOSITE SCAFFOLDS COMPOSED OF POLY(D,L-LACTIDE-co-GLYCOLIDE) AND POLY(ε-CAPROLACTONE)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of composition poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)/poly(ε- caprolactone)(PLGA/PCL)blending on the morphology,shrinkage and degradation behaviors of the electrospun fibers. With the increase of PLGA content in the composite fibers,the average diameter of the electrospun fibers increased from 1.35μm to 1.95μm.The serious shrinking of the electrospun PLGA meshes could be circumvented by adding 20% PCL in the fibers,resulting from the semi-crystalline nature of ...

The effect of the fibre orientation of electrospun scaffolds on the matrix production of rabbit annulus fibrosus-derived stem cells

Annulus fibrosus （AF） tissue engineering has recently received increasing attention as a treatment for intervertebral disc 0VD） degeneration; however, such engineering remains challenging because of the remarkable complexity of AF tissue. In order to engineer a functional AF replacement, the fabrication of cell-scaffold constructs that mimic the cellular, biochemical and structural features of native AF tissue is critical. In this study, we fabricated aligned fibroua polyurethane scaffolds using an electrospinning technique and used them for culturing AF-derived-stem/progenitor cells （AFSCs）. Random fibrous scaffolds, also prepared via electrospinningy were used as a control. We compared the morphology, proliferation, gene expression and matrix production of AFSCs on aligned scaffolds and random scaffolds. There was no apparent difference in the attachment or proliferation of cells cultured on aligned scaffolds and random scaffolds. However, compared to cells on random scaffolds, the AFSCs on aligned scaffolds were more elongated and better aligned, and they exhibited higher gene expression and matrix production of coUagen-I and aggrecan. The gene expression and protein production of coUagen-II did not appear to differ between the two groups. Together, these findings indicate that aligned fibrous scaffolds may provide a favourable microenvironment for the differentiation of AFSCs into cells similar to outer AF cells, which predominantly produce collagen-I matrix.

Enhanced air filtration performance under high-humidity condition through electrospun membranes with optimized structure

The separation stability under high-humidity is significant in practical applications for air filters.Herein,hydrophobic polyvinyl chloride(PVC)nanofiber filters with bead-on-string structure are designed to steadily remove particle matter under high relative humidity of 90%-95%.The developed hydrophobic filters possess comparable separation performance with the hydrophilic one,but greatly enhanced stability.After the introduction of beadon-string structure,the filtration performance can be furtherly improved due to the formed large cavities and hydrophobicity.Such hydrophobic PVC filters can be promising candidates for air purification in practical applications especially in wet seasons.

Polymer-free electrospun separator film comprising silica nanofibers and alumina nanoparticles for Li-ion full cell

A separator film for high-performance Li-ion batteries was prepared by electrospinning. The film had a hybrid morphology of silica nanofibers(SNFs) and alumina nanoparticles(ANPs), with a smooth surface, polymer-free composition, high porosity(79%), high electrolyte uptake(876%), and excellent thermal stability. Contact angle measurements demonstrated the better immersion capability of the SNF-ANP separator film for commercial liquid electrolytes than a commercial CELGARD 2500 separator film. Moreover,compared to the commercial CELGARD 2500 separator, the ionic conductivity of the SNF-ANP separator film was nearly three times higher, the bulk resistance was lower at elevated temperature(120 ℃), the interfacial resistance with lithium metal was lower, and the electrochemical window was wider. Full cells were fabricated to determine the cell performance at room temperature. The specific capacity of the full cell with the SNF-ANP separator film was 165 mAh g-1;the cell was stable for 100 charge/discharge cycles and exhibited a capacity retention of 99.9%. Notably, the electrospun SNF-ANP separator film can be safely used in Li-ion or Li-S rechargeable batteries.

Hierarchically electrospun nanofibers and their applications:A review

Electrospinning is a popular method for generating long and continuous nanofibers due to its simplicity and versatility.However,conventional electrospun products have weak strength and low availability,which restrict their functionality in complex applications.Hierarchical morphology introduces additional and distinctive structural layers onto electrospun fibers.This requires either an extra fabrication step or controlling electrospinning parameters to achieve the desired morphology.Hierarchical morphology can improve the properties of electrospun nanofibers while also mitigating the undesired characteristics.This review discusses the primary and secondary hierarchical structures of electrospun nanomaterials.Hierarchical structures were found to enhance the functionality of nanomaterials and improve pore connectivity and surface areas of electrospun nanofibers.A further advantage is the ability to impart multiple functionalities on nanostructures.With a better understanding of some of the dominant hierarchical structures,nanomaterials applications in drug delivery,tissue engineering,catalysis,and energy devices industries can be improved.

Electronic modulation and interface engineering of electrospun nanomaterials‐based electrocatalysts toward water splitting

Nowdays,electrocatalytic water splitting has been regarded as one of the most efficient means to approach the urgent energy crisis and environmental issues.However,to speed up the electrocatalytic conversion efficiency of their half reactions including hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER),electrocatalysts are usually essential to reduce their kinetic energy barriers.Electrospun nanomaterials possess a unique one‐dimensional structure for outstanding electron and mass transportation,large specific surface area,and the possibilities of flexibility with the porous feature,which are good candidates as efficient electrocatalysts for water splitting.In this review,we focus on the recent research progress on the electrospun nanomaterials‐based electrocatalysts for HER,OER,and overall water splitting reaction.Specifically,the insights of the influence of the electronic modulation and interface engineering of these electrocatalysts on their electrocatalytic activities will be deeply discussed and highlighted.Furthermore,the challenges and development opportunities of the electrospun nanomaterials‐based electrocatalysts for water splitting are featured.Based on the achievements of the significantly enhanced performance from the electronic modulation and interface engineering of these electrocatalysts,full utilization of these materials for practical energy conversion is anticipated.

Electrospun antibacterial nanofibers for wound dressings and tissue medicinal fields:A Review

Bacterial infections are a major cause of chronic infections.Thus,antibacterial material is an urgent need in clinics.Antibacterial nanofibers,with expansive surface area,enable efficient incorporation of antibacterial agents.Meanwhile,structure similar to the extracellular matrix can accelerate cell growth.Electrospinning,the most widely used technique to fabricate nanofiber,is often used in many biomedical applications including drug delivery,regenerative medicine,wound healing and so on.Thus,this review provides an overview of all recently published studies on the development of electrospun antibacterial nanofibers in wound dressings and tissue me-dicinal fields.This reviewer begins with a brief introduction of electrospinning process and then discusses electrospun fibers by incorporating various types of antimicrobial agents used as in wound dressings and tissue.Finally,we finish with conclusions and further perspectives on electrospun antibacterial nanofibers as 2D biomedicine materials.

Advances in Electrospun Nanofiber Yarns

In order to increase the application area of nanofibers,electrospun nanofiber yarns have drawn attention of many researchers around the globe.Once the production method of nanofiber yarn is mature enough to be universally accepted,many new gates of applications will open to the world.In this review,different electrospinning techniques of electrospun nanofiber yarns are divided into needle electrospinning and needleless electrospinning.Considering yarn twist as an important mechanism,needle electrospinning technique is further categorized into mechanical,electrical and field flow twisting methods.Moreover,parameters influencing the mechanical properties of electrospun nanofiber yarns are investigated.Methods of improving mechanical properties of nanofiber yarns are addressed,including hot-water-bath treatment,addition of carbon nanotubes(CNTs)and introducing regulators.Finally,applications of electrospun nanofiber yarns in different fields of smart textile and bioengineering are summed-up.In summary,challenges encountered in the industrialization of nanofiber yarns and future prospects are anticipated.

Preparation of High-precision Electrospun Nanoair Filter Paper for Air Purification

Electrospinning technology has become a research hotspot becauseof its advantages, such as simple operation, low cost, large specific surfacearea, high porosity, and good fiber continuity. Here, a new type of compositenanoair filter paper was prepared using electrospinning technology. Toimprove the practicability of air filter base paper, phenolic resin was used as acuring agent to improve the strength. The results show that the electrospunnanoair filter paper with air filter paper as the receiving substrate andpolyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution as the spinning solution excellentlyperformed in all aspects. The influence of the thickness (spinning time) of thePVA nanofiber membrane on the micromorphology, physical properties, andfiltration performance of the electrospun nanoair filter paper was analyzed.According to the ISO 5011-2014 standard, the initial resistance, filtrationefficiency, mean pore size, and dust capacity of the electrospun nanoair filterpaper were 77.3 Pa, 99.9941%, 3.50 μm, and 146 g/m^(2), respectively, when thespinning time was 15 min.

Comparison of BSA Release Behavior from Electrospun PLGA and PLGA/Chitosan Membranes

In order to encapsulate and controlled-release bioactive proteins,three fibrous membranes,i.e.,poly（L-lactide-co-glycolide）（PLGA）,hybrid PLGA and chitosan（H-PLGA/CS）,and core/shell PLGA/CS （C-PLGA/CS）,were produced by emulsion electrospinning,co-electrospinning and coaxial electrospinning,respectively.Bovine serum albumin（BSA） was selected as a model protein.The loading efficiency of BSA in the PLGA membrane was 1.56%,lower than those of H-PLGA/CS（5.98%） and C-PLGA/CS（4.80%）.BSA release profiles from the three membranes showed initial burst releases in the first 7 d and then sustained release for 28 d.Cumulative releases at the end of the releasing period,28 d,from the above three membranes were nearly 63%,88% and 94%,respectively,indicating that the introduction of chitosan and the core/shell fiber structure could enhance BSA release rate.In addition,all these electrospun membranes could retain their fibrous morphologies after in vitro release of BSA for 28 d.

Preparation of Electrospun CdSe-Quantum-Dots-Doped Porous Films

Electrospun porous films doped with the green-synthesized CdSe quantum dots were synthesized. Glycerol was chosen to prepare the quantum dots （ QDs）, with the highest quantum yield of 78.28%. Polycaprolactone （PCL） was electrospun with CdSe QDs to avoid the QDs＇ toxicity and improve the QDs＇ cytocompatibility. The electrospun QDs-doped films preserve the original QDs＇ fluorescence. Pores can be detected from the SEM of the films, predicting the possibility of loading drugs in the cancer therapy. The cell proliferation assay shows excellent cytocompatibility of the eletrospun CdSe-QDs-doped films. The present eletrospun CdSe- QDs-doped porous films are cytocompatibale, highly-fluorescent and ootential to load drugs in cancer therapy.

Electrospun Nanofibers of Hydroxyapatite / Collagen / Chitosan Promote Osteogenic Differentiation of BMSCs

Bone tissue engineering, aiming at developing bone substitutes for repair and regeneration of bone defects instead of using autologous bone grafts,has attracted wide attention in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.Developing biomimetic biomaterial scaffolds able to regulate osteogenic differentiation of stem cells could be a promising strategy to improve the therapeutic efficacy.In this study, electrospun composite nanofibers of hydroxyapatite / collagen / chitosan( HAp / Col / CTS)resembling the fibrous nanostructure and constituents of the hierarchically organized natural bone,were prepared to investigate their capacity for promoting bone mesenchymal stem cells( BMSCs)to differentiate into the osteogenic lineage in the absence and presence of the osteogenic supplementation, respectively.Cell morphology,proliferation and quantified specific osteogenic protein expression on the electrospun HAp / Col / CTS scaffolds were evaluated in comparison with different controls including electrospun nanofibrous CTS,HAp / CTS and tissue culture plate.Our results showed that the nanofibrous HAp / Col / CTS scaffolds supported better spreading and proliferation of the BMSCs than other substrates( P < 0.01).Expressions of osteogenesis protein markers,alkaline phosphatase( ALP) and Col,were significantly upregulated on the HAp / Col / CTS than those on the CTS( P < 0.01) and HAp /CTS( P < 0.05) scaffolds in the absence of the osteogenic supplementation.Moreover,presence of osteogenic supplementation also proved to enhance osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs on HAp /Col / CTS scaffolds, indicative of a synergistic effect.This study highlights the potential of BMSCs / HAp / Col / CTS cell-scaffold system for functional bone repair and regeneration applications.

Electrospun fiber membrane with asymmetric NO release for the differential regulation of cell growth

The high incidence of cardiovascular disease has led to significant demand for synthetic vascular grafts in clinical applications.Anti-proliferation drugs are usually loaded into devices to achieve desirable anti-thrombosis effects after implantation.However,the non-selectiveness of these conventional drugs can lead to the failure of blood vessel reconstruction,leading to potential complications in the long term.To address this issue,an asymmetric membrane was constructed through electro-spinning techniques.The bilayer membrane loaded and effectively released nitric oxide(NO),as hoped,from only one side.Due to the short diffusion distance of NO,it exerted negligible effects on the other side of the membrane,thus allowing selective regulation of different cells on both sides.The released NO boosted the growth of endothelial cells(ECs)over smooth muscle cells(SMCs)-while on the side where NO was absent,SMCs grew into multilayers.The overall structure resembled a native blood vessel,with confluent ECs as the inner layer and layers of SMCs to support it.In addition,the membrane preserved the normal function of ECs,and at the same time did not exacerbate inflammatory responses.By preparing this material type that regulates cell behavior differentially,we describe a new method for its application in the cardiovascular field such as for artificial blood vessels.

Surface Modification of Electrospun Poly(L-lactide)/Poly(ε-caprolactone)Fibrous Membranes by Plasma Treatment and Gelatin Immobilization

Biopolymer fibers have great potential for technical applications in biomaterials.The surface properties of fibers are of importance in these applications.In this study,electrospun poly(L-lactide)(PLLA)/poly(ε-caprolactone)(PCL)membranes were modified by cold plasma treatment and coating gelatin to improve the surface hydrophilic properties.The morphologies of the fibers were observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).Atomic force microscopy(AFM)was employed to show the surface characteristics of the fibers.The chemical feature of the fibrous membrane surfaces was examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).The surface wettability of the fibrous membrane was also characterized by water contact angle measurements.All these results show that plasma treatment can have profound effects on the surface properties of fibrous membranes by changing their surface physical and chemical features.Gelatin-PLLA/PCL membrane has great potential in applications of tissue engineering scaffolds.

Disc-Electrospun PCL Nanofiber Formed Micro-patterned Structure Scaffold

Disc-electrospinning using a disc as spinneret and a rotary drum as collector is a novel technology to prepare nanofiber which has been applied in tissue engineering scaffolds. In this study, nanofibrous mats with mlcro-patterned structure were fabricated via disc-electrospinning. Poly （ε-eaprolactone） （PCL） was dissolved in trifluoroethanol （TFE） at various concentrations （ 2 %-7 % ） （w/v） for electrospinning and the applied voltage ranged from 40 to 70 kV. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） was employed to observe the morphology of the nanofibrous scaffolds. SEM images illustrated that the nanofibers with beads formed micro-patterned structure such as triangles and other polygons. The average diameter of nanofibers presented various size with the concentration increased from 2% to 7%. The beads on the nanofibers constructed the vertexes of the polygons, while nanofibers bridged between adjacent vertexes. The concentration of solution and applied voltage may be two dominant factors to influence the topological structure of the nanofibrons scaffolds. Cells cultured on the micro-patterned scaffold spread along the edges of the polygons. The scaffold with patterned structure may have a promising application in tissue engineering.

Electrospun fibers:a guiding scaffold for research and regeneration of the spinal cord

The challenge to regenerating the nervous system compared to other tissues in the body is the complexity of the tissue. For example, a small amount of scar tissue formation after an injury to the skin may have few negative side effects, but any scar tissue in the central nervous system is a major physical and chemical barrier to nerve regeneration （Sofroniew, 2009）.