Preface

This book compiles up-to-date information on the innovative technique of producing nanostructures in the form of fibers, fibrous mats, and network structures. Continuous progress in many fields of science such as electronics, energy, medicine, and environmental protection is now driven by advances in the nanoscale, related primarily to the development of nanomaterials.

Among modern nanomaterials that enable the development of technologies and products, one-dimensional (1D) structures such as nanofibers and fibrous systems have an extremely wide range of applications. Hence, this book presents innovations in the production of 1D structures, such as electrospinning, as well as a whole range of innovative solutions obtained from dye to the use of one-dimensional nanostructures and their systems.

The first section of the book contains four chapters that discuss the use of electrospinning technology in the production of nanostructures of various types of materials, from commercially used polymers to synthetic waste biomass and plant extracts. In addition, some chapters broadly describe the parameters of the electrospinning process and analyze its impact on the structure and properties of the final nanostructures depending on application.

Chapter 1 describes the use of modern polymeric materials in the form of electrospun fibrous mats in the development of active food packaging as well as other applications in the food industry. Chapter 2 discusses the application of electrospinning technology in the production of fibrous mats used as substrates for the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells. Chapter 3 presents research on the production of structured nanofibers from natural sources, such as plant extracts. According to the chapter, the use of bio-additives in the form of natural herbal extracts in electrospun nanostructures may have extremely positive effects on biocompatibility and drug release possibilities. Chapter 4 presents a modern approach to the production and recycling of biomass waste streams. The chapter summarizes the use of the different types of biomass waste as an alternative source of polymeric materials in electrospinning technology.

The second section of the book describes the use of electrospun structures as "materials of the future" in areas with high development impact, including electronics and bioengineering. Chapter 5 contains literature reports and experimental data taken from the research on the production of fibrous materials used in controlled drug delivery systems. It examines the possibility of using electrospinning technology to improve material properties to achieve controlled release drug delivery systems. Chapter 6 presents an overview of novel material solutions in sensing applications with particular emphasis on nanofiber materials. According to the authors, a promising direction for the development of modern sensors is the use of functionalized

nanofibers in hybrid fiber-optic/nanofiber structures, which presents the feasibility of realization of miniature sensors of biomedical and chemical values. The discussion in the chapter concerns the new detection principle for various chemical and biomedical applications.

#### **Tomasz Tański and Paweł Jarka**

**1**

Section 1

Technological Parameters of

Electrospinning Technology in

the Production of Functional

Materials Nanostructures

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Engineering Materials and Biomaterials, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland

### Section 1
