Coupling of electrospinning and photo-induced processes for advanced nanofibrous polymeric materials: current state-of-the-art and future perspectives

Abstract

Electrospinning is a versatile and widely adopted technique for the fabrication of nanofibrous polymeric materials with high surface area, interconnected porosity, and tunable architectures. However, conventional electrospun mats often suffer from limited mechanical robustness, poor resistance to water or solvents, and restricted control over functionality, which hampers their deployment in advanced applications. In recent years, the integration of electrospinning with photo-induced processes has emerged as a powerful strategy to overcome these limitations by enabling controlled polymerization, crosslinking, and surface functionalization under mild and spatially selective conditions. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art in coupling electrospinning with photo-induced reactions for the design of advanced nanofibrous polymeric materials. Both in situ photopolymerization during fiber formation and post-spinning photo-induced crosslinking or grafting are discussed, with emphasis on the underlying chemistries, including free-radical (meth)acrylate systems, thiol–ene click reactions, photocycloaddition-based processes, and cationic photopolymerization. Representative examples spanning low-molecular-weight precursors, macromers, polymers, and hybrid organic–inorganic systems are critically analyzed to highlight structure–property–function relationships and processing–reactivity interplay. Beyond summarizing recent advances, this review outlines key challenges and future perspectives, including reaction–jet coupling, scalability, sustainability, and the development of dynamic and multifunctional fibrous systems. By framing electrospinning as a reactive manufacturing platform enabled by photochemistry, this work aims to guide future research toward the rational design and translation of next-generation nanofibrous materials for biomedical, environmental, energy, and smart-material applications.