Electrospinning Equipment: Electrospun Nanofibers: Advancing Real-Time Motion Monitoring

1.Abstract

This review examines the emerging applications of electrospun nanofibers in real-time motion monitoring. Electrospun nanofibers, produced using an electrospinning machine, hold great potential in the fields of real-time motion tracking and health monitoring. The article focuses on their applications in wearable sensors, motion detection, and health monitoring devices, while analyzing the challenges and opportunities for clinical translation and commercialization. These nanofibers offer high sensitivity and flexibility, enabling real-time monitoring of parameters such as gait patterns, running posture, and electrocardiogram signals. Their integration into sports training and rehabilitation enhances performance assessment and feedback, thereby accelerating the recovery process. Additionally, health monitoring devices based on electrospun nanofibers provide comfort and portability, making them effective tools for personal health management. Despite their significant potential in motion monitoring, the commercialization of electrospun nanofibers still faces challenges such as large-scale production, reproducibility, and environmental adaptability. Future directions include the development of new materials, the use of advanced manufacturing technologies, and the exploration of new application areas.

2.Introduction

With continuous technological advancements, smart wearable devices have become an integral part of modern life, integrating high-precision sensors to monitor health parameters and daily activities, thereby significantly enhancing users' quality of life. Electrospun nanofibers have garnered considerable attention due to their unique physical and chemical properties, such as high porosity, large specific surface area, and strong electrostatic adsorption capabilities. These properties make them highly promising for sensor applications. The production process of electrospun nanofibers using an electrospinning device is simple and cost-effective, allowing precise control over fiber diameter, porosity, and surface chemistry by adjusting process parameters. This provides significant advantages in manufacturing miniaturized devices. By combining material innovations with electrospinning technology, researchers have developed high-performance sensors capable of detecting subtle pressure changes, strain, and temperature variations. These sensors show broad prospects for applications in smart clothing, health monitoring systems, and human–computer interfaces. In recent years, with the increasing demand for health and motion monitoring, the market for wearable devices has grown rapidly. However, existing wearable devices still need improvement in functions such as real-time body temperature measurement, motion information transmission, subtle pressure detection, and harmful gas detection. The emergence of electrospun nanofiber technology offers new solutions to these challenges. Integrating electrospun nanofibers into smart devices can enable non-invasive, high-precision monitoring and provide real-time analysis and feedback to users, significantly enhancing their quality of life.

3.Research Content

(1)Electrospinning Technology and Parameters

Electrospinning is an advanced manufacturing process that uses high voltage to stretch polymer solutions or melts into nanofibers. Its application in real-time motion monitoring is increasingly widespread due to the efficiency and controllability of fiber preparation. Standard electrospinning setups include a syringe pump, a high-voltage power supply, a nozzle, and a collector. Key operational parameters include the applied voltage, polymer solution flow rate, and the distance between the nozzle and the collector. These parameters play crucial roles in shaping the morphology and characteristics of the resultant fibers. In addition to standard electrospinning, advanced techniques such as coaxial electrospinning, emulsion electrospinning, melt electrospinning, multilayer electrospinning, and compound field electrospinning have been developed to achieve more precise control over fiber structure and performance. For example, coaxial electrospinning uses specially designed nozzles to discharge two polymer solutions simultaneously, creating core–shell structured nanofibers that enhance sensing capabilities and stability.

(2)Material Selection for Electrospun Nanofibers

The choice of material is critical for the performance of electrospun nanofibers. Materials used in electrospinning include organic nanofibers, inorganic nanofibers, and inorganic–organic composite nanofibers. Metal-based nanofibers, such as those containing silver, gold, copper, and zinc oxide, are highly conductive and mechanically strong, making them ideal for strain sensors and biomedical monitoring devices. Metal oxide-based nanofibers, including zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, and iron oxide, exhibit excellent semiconducting and piezoelectric properties, which are beneficial for self-powered sensors and multifunctional devices. Carbon-based nanofibers, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene, offer exceptional electrical conductivity, mechanical flexibility, and thermal stability, making them suitable for a wide range of applications from wearable electronics to environmental monitoring. Two-dimensional (2D) materials like graphene, MXenes, and boron nitride have also been incorporated into electrospun fibers to enhance their performance in terms of sensitivity, flexibility, and multifunctionality.

(3)Applications of Electrospun Nanofibers

Electrospun nanofibers have a wide range of applications in real-time motion monitoring. They can be integrated into wearable health monitoring devices, such as smart bandages for wound healing, respiratory monitors, and electromyography (EMG) sensors. These devices provide real-time feedback on physiological signals and movement patterns. In sports training and rehabilitation, electrospun nanofiber sensors can monitor athletes' posture, muscle activity, and heart rate, offering valuable data for performance enhancement and injury prevention. For example, MXene/CNTs/TPU composite strain sensors have been developed for detecting a wide range of human motions, while silk fibroin/silver nanowire sensors have been used for hemorrhage monitoring. Additionally, multifunctional sensors based on electrospun nanofibers can simultaneously monitor multiple physiological parameters, providing comprehensive health assessments.

4.Conclusion

Electrospun nanofibers, produced using an electrospinning device, have shown great potential in real-time motion and health monitoring systems. This review has provided a comprehensive overview of the role of electrospun nanofibers in wearable sensors, motion detection, and health monitoring devices, while also addressing the challenges and opportunities associated with their clinical translation and commercialization. Future research will focus on the development of new materials, the application of advanced manufacturing technologies, and the exploration of new application areas. With continuous technological advancements and market demand, electrospun nanofibers are expected to play a significant role in the development of next-generation motion monitoring devices, promoting their evolution towards greater intelligence, convenience, and efficiency.

Electrospinning Nanofibers Article Source:

https://doi.org/10.1007/s42114-024-01098-9