Electrospinning is a versatile method for forming continuous thin fibers based on an electrohydrodynamic process. This method has the following advantages: (i) the ability to produce thin fibers with diameters in the micrometer and nanometer ranges; (ii) one-step forming of the two- or three-dimensional nanofiber network assemblies (nanofibrous membranes); and (iii) applicability for a broad spectrum of molecules, such as synthetic and biological polymers and polymerless sol-gel systems. Electrospun nanofibrous membranes have received significant attention in terms of their practical applications. The major advantages of nanofibers or nanofibrous membranes are the functionalities based on their nanoscaled-size, highly specific surface area, and highly molecular orientation. These functionalities of the nanofibrous membranes can be controlled by their fiber diameter, surface chemistry and topology, and internal structure of the nanofibers. This report focuses on our studies and describes fundamental aspects and applications of electrospun nanofibrous membranes.

A bio-inspired organic semiconductor 5,5′-diphenylindigo shows excellent and well-balanced ambipolar transistor properties; its hole and electron mobilities are 0.56 and 0.95 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively. The enhanced performance is attributed to the extended π–π overlap of the phenyl groups as well as the characteristic packing pattern that is a hybrid of the herringbone and brickwork structures. The ambipolar transistor characteristics are analyzed considering its operating regions, where a large unipolar saturated region appears due to the difference of the electron and hole threshold voltages.