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Nanofibers have emerged as a promising platform for advancing optical and electrical applications due to their unique structural and functional properties. Traditional piezoelectric ceramics, such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), zinc oxide (ZnO), and barium titanate (BaTiO₃), exhibit remarkable piezoelectric performance. However, their inherent brittleness and high processing temperatures significantly limit their practical utility. These limitations have driven the search for novel ferroelectric materials that are both flexible and easily processed. Ferroelectric fiber composites fabricated by electrospinning hold significant promise, offering enhanced ferroelectric, piezoelectric, pyroelectric, and nonlinear optical properties, while also being flexible, biocompatible, and environmentally friendly. Electrospinning devices are versatile and cost-effective, capable of producing continuous, individual fibers with tunable diameters and structures, making them an ideal method for creating hybrid composite materials. This review focuses on the development of ferroelectric and nonlinear optical nanofibers via electrospinning, emphasizing their unique properties and potential applications in electronics, photonics, and energy harvesting.
This review examines recent advancements in embedding molecules, nanocrystals, and nanograins into nanofibers to create hybrid functional materials with exceptional physical properties. The study explores strategies for incorporating diverse compounds into nanofibers and their impact on enhancing ferroelectric behavior and nonlinear optical conversion. These developments have transformative potential across electronics, photonics, biomaterials, and energy harvesting. The review synthesizes recent advancements in the design and application of nanofiber-embedded materials, highlighting their potential impact on scientific research and technological innovation.
This review focuses on the development of ferroelectric and nonlinear optical nanofibers fabricated via electrospinning, covering a wide range of materials from inorganics to molecular crystals. Key findings include:
(1) Electrospinning Process:
Electrospinning is a versatile technique that allows the production of continuous nanofibers with tunable diameters and structures. The process involves stretching a viscoelastic solution under a strong electric field, resulting in fibers with diameters ranging from a few micrometers to less than 100 nm. The final fiber diameter and properties can be controlled by adjusting parameters such as polymer concentration, solvent properties, applied voltage, and needle-to-collector distance. Electrospinning machines enable precise control over these parameters, facilitating the fabrication of fibers with tailored properties.
(2) Composite Ferroelectric and Multiferroic Fibers:
Ferroelectric Polymers: Ferroelectric polymers like PVDF and its copolymers are highlighted for their strong ferroelectric properties and high electromechanical response. Electrospinning promotes the formation of the β-phase in PVDF nanofibers, enhancing their piezoelectric properties.
Inorganic Ferroelectric Nanofibers:
The review discusses the synthesis of inorganic ferroelectric nanofibers such as BaTiO₃ and PZT. These fibers retain their ferroelectric properties at the nanoscale and can exhibit enhanced axial polarization with decreasing size (Figure 3). For example, BaTiO₃ nanofibers annealed at 900–1000°C show a tetragonal ferroelectric phase, confirmed by second harmonic generation (SHG) and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) measurements (Figure 2d).
Multiferroic Nanofibers:
The development of multiferroic nanofibers, which combine ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties, is also explored. These materials offer potential applications in information storage, sensors, and low-power electronics.
(3) Nonlinear Optical Nanofibers:
The review examines the fabrication of nonlinear optical nanofibers using organic molecules and crystals. These fibers exhibit enhanced second harmonic generation (SHG) and polarized light emission, making them suitable for applications in nanophotonic devices and sensors. For example, fibers embedded with 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline (MNA) show strong SHG efficiency, with an effective nonlinear susceptibility coefficient of 148 pm/V .
The alignment of molecular dipoles during the electrospinning process significantly enhances the nonlinear optical properties of these fibers. This is demonstrated through the highly oriented mesocrystalline structures of para-nitroaniline (pNA) in PLLA fibers, which exhibit an effective nonlinear optical coefficient of 42 pm/V .
(4) Applications and Innovations:
The study demonstrates the potential of these nanofibers in various applications, including flexible electronics, high-sensitivity sensors, energy harvesting, and nanophotonic devices. For example, BaTiO₃ nanofibers have been used to develop piezoelectric nanogenerators with output power of 0.1841 µW and maximum voltage of 2.67 V under low mechanical stress (Figure 4).
The integration of multiple functionalities into a single system, such as combining ferroelectric and magnetic properties, is also highlighted. This is exemplified by the development of core–shell and Janus-type multiferroic nanofibers, which offer enhanced strain coupling and magnetoelectric effects. Electrospinning machines play a crucial role in fabricating these advanced materials by allowing precise control over fiber composition and structure.
The review concludes that electrospinning is a powerful technique for fabricating multifunctional ferroelectric and nonlinear optical nanofibers. These materials exhibit exceptional properties and hold significant promise for applications in electronics, photonics, and energy harvesting. The ability to tailor fiber properties through process control and material selection makes electrospinning an ideal method for developing next-generation devices. Future research should focus on optimizing fiber performance, scalability, and environmental impact to realize the full potential of these materials.
Electrospinning Nanofibers Article Source:
https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15050409
