Smart Nanofibrous Membranes: Fabrication, Characterization and Applications

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to extend an invitation to participate in an upcoming Special Issue of Membranes, a renowned MDPI journal, entitled “Smart Nanofibrous Membranes.”

Smart nanofibrous membranes represent a critical area of research, with a wide range of potential applications in fields as diverse as chemical engineering, materials science, biomedicine engineering, information science, energy, environment engineering, etc. These membranes exhibit unique properties, such as smart responsive behavior, which can be harnessed for a variety of purposes, including separation, filtration, encapsulation, micro-/nanostructure design, and energy harvesting. As such, they hold great promise for addressing challenges in areas such as water treatment, drug delivery, and other advanced manufacturing.

This Special Issue aims to compile the latest advancements and innovations in the field of smart nanofibrous membranes. It will explore the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of these advanced materials, highlighting their potential to revolutionize various industries, including, but not limited to, healthcare, environmental protection, sustainable energy, and smart sensors.

The Special Issue will include original research articles, review articles, and short communications, encompassing the following themes:

(1) Membrane Design and Manufacture: Innovative methods for the design and synthesis of smart nanofibrous membranes, including the use of novel materials and fabrication techniques, especially electrospinning techniques and equipment for mass production.

(2) Properties and Characterization: Detailed analysis of the physical, chemical, and biological properties of smart nanofibrous membranes, highlighting the advanced characterization techniques for fiber characterization, nanofiber imaging, membrane testing, process control monitoring, fouling analyses, and calculation.

(3) Stimuli Responsiveness: Investigation into the stimuli-responsive behavior of fibrous membranes, such as their response to temperature, pH, light, sound, or mechanical stress. Exploration of the development and optimization of membranes, especially in filtration, adsorption, and purification, and kinetic studies of membrane processes.

(4) Applications: Reports on the application of smart nanofibrous membranes in various fields. Exploring multiple functionalities based on smart nanofibrous membranes, including, but not limited to, surface wettability, mechanical strength, reinforced composites, energy conversion and harvesting, nanogenerators, batteries, flexible sensors, smart devices, skin electronics, drug delivery, wound dressing, and other promising functionalities.

(5) Future Perspectives: Discussion of the challenges and opportunities facing the field, along with potential routes for future research and development.

This Special Issue is expected to have a significant impact on the field of smart nanofibrous membranes, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art and identifying areas for future research. It will also contribute to the development of novel technologies and applications, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.

We look forward to receiving your outstanding contributions in this Special Issue.

Dr. Xin Wei
Dr. Yuying Cao
Prof. Dr. Tong Lin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• electrospinning
• nanofibrous membrane
• polymer composite
• functional fiber
• modified nanofiber
• porous membrane
• flexible sensors
• smart nanofiber
• nanofiber characterization
• energy harvesting
• filtration
• stimuli responsiveness