The re-exploration of the nanostructure production technique known as electrospinning was carried out in the past decade due to its simplicity and uniqueness of producing nanostructures. As nanotechnology is one of the most promising and growing technologies today, a large amount of work is being carried out in an extensive area and shows an extremely huge potential for miraculous works in the fields of medicine and biotechnology. These nanostructures were found to be of great significance because of their inherent properties such as large surface area to volume ratio and the engineered properties such as porosity, stability and permeability. The functionality and applicability of these nanostructures were further improved by incorporating secondary phases either during electrospinning or in the post-processing resulting in the composite nanostructures. These secondary phases may include metal oxides, carbon nanotubes, precious metals, gold nanoparticles and hydroxyapatite. Nanofibrous materials that mimic the native extracellular matrix (ECM) and promote the adhesion of various cells are being developed as tissue-engineered scaffolds for the skin, bone, vasculature, heart, cornea, nervous system and other tissues. The article discusses in detail the applicability of these composite fibers in energy, sensors, filters, biotechnology and details the technological issues, research challenges and future trends.

The paper deals with the modification made to the general electrospinning setup. The emphasis is given to characterize the designs based on their applicability. Four basic categories are identified, namely, patterned fibers, fiber yarns, multicomponent, and deposition area of the fiber mat obtained. The mathematical modeling to better understand the physics behind the modification made to the general electrospinning setup is presented. Emphasis is given to critically analyse these categories on the basis of the applications served by them. Each of these categories is found to serve a specific poll of advanced application enabling the researchers to make a calculated choice for the design of the electrospinning setup for particular application.

Nanocomposites have attracted a huge amount of interest due to their improved mechanical properties, dimensional stability, thermal/chemical stability, and electrical conductivity. Nanostructures are found to be of great significance because of their inherent properties such as large surface area to volume ratio and the engineered properties such as porosity, stability, and permeability. Composite material can achieve multifunctionality by combining the relevant, desirable features of different materials to form a new material having a broad spectrum of desired properties. These properties include liquid/gas sensing, self-repair nano/microstructure, catalysis initiator/inhibitor, as well as biomedical engineering. In this article, the nano/microcomposites are critically analyzed against the combination of functionalities i.e. mechanical, optical, chemical, electrical, and thermal properties. This review specifically presents a narrative summary on the use of multifunctional nanomaterials for energy as well as environmental applications, along with a discussion on some critical challenges existing in the fields.

Melt electrospinning is a technique for the production of micro and nanofibers which can be an interesting alternative to conventional solvent electrospinning. In this process, the solvents are replaced by polymer melts. Despite its greater potential, the number of papers published and research groups working in the application of melt electrospinning for novel applications is significantly lower than that of solvent electrospinning. However, it is worth mentioning that attempts were made to improve the design and development of melt electrospinning and fabricate fibrous materials using the set up during the last few decades. A lack of interest in melt electrospinning is probably associated with the difficulty of melting the polymers at a precise temperature range. This report provides an overview on the various design setups employed to achieve melt electrospinning and a wide variety of polymers used.