How much is nanometer?

Nanometer is a length unit in metric system equal to one billionth of a meter. From the Ancient Greek nano (nanos) means dwarf and meter (metron) means "unit of measurement". Diameter of helium atom is equal to 0.1nm so 1 nanometer can be described as 10 atoms of helium arranged in a line. Other more conceivable explanation is that human hair is growing a nanometer per hour.

What is electrospinning technique?

Electrospinning is one of the techniques of production filaments and fibers in nanometer diameter range. It uses an electrical charge to draw very fine (micron and nano scale) fibers from a liquid - in this case dissolved polymer. Relatively high electric potential is being applied to polymer solution and when some characteristic for composition charge is accumulated on the surface the polymer jet blasts in direction of grounded collector. During flight additional processes of thickening occurs due to surfaces charges repulsion and initially straight jet starts wobble. This reduces fiber diameter up to nanometer range.

Why nanofibers are better than normal nonwovens?

When material is reaching nanofiber diameters it get some new unique properties. In definition nanometerial is a material where at least one dimension is less than 100nm. In case of electrospun nanofibers the smallest dimension (diameter) is in range of 50-500nm. Because nanofibers have extremely small diameters the surface area increases dramatically. Small distances between them (pores) and high surface energy brings properties unseen before in traditional materials.

Where nanofibers can be applied?

Because nanofibers have those unique properties it can be used in a number of new areas where fibrous materials have not been used before. Some of them like anti-reflective coatings, protective clothing, solar cells, fuel cells, batteries, water treatment, sensors, air filtration, hydrogen generation, biotechnology and tissue engineering are already under investigation, and many more areas are waiting to be discovered...