Grooved Fibers: Preparation Principles Through Electrospinning and Potential Applications

Abstract

The surface morphology of micro- and nano- scale fiber determines its application to a great extent. At present, a variety of secondary morphology of microfibers and nanofibers, such as porous, wrinkle, groove and so on, have been prepared. Among them, grooved micro- and nano- fibers are attracting more and more attention because of their unique morphology and properties. In this paper, we review the literature on grooved fibers due to void-based elongation, wrinkle-based elongation, collapsed jet-based elongation and selective dissolution. By contrast, the method of phase separation is simpler and more commonly used than selective dissolution. What is more interesting is that the number and depth of grooves on the fiber surface can be well controlled by adjusting the experimental parameters, which greatly increases the research value and application fields of grooves micro-nano fibers. Grooved fibers can be made from a range of materials: polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA), polystyrene (PS), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) and other polymers. The applications of grooved micro-nano fibers are discussed in detail, including peripheral nerve regeneration, water manipulation and energy conversion.