Polymer Materials for Microfiber and Nanofiber Technologies: Classification, Processability, and Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

Microfiber and nanofiber technologies have emerged as revolutionary platforms for applications that include filtration, medicinal devices, energy systems, and smart fabrics. The systematic selection and handling of polymer materials are fundamental to these advances, and influence fiber shape, functionality, and performance. This chapter offers a comprehensive and critical examination of polymer materials used in the manufacture of microfibers and nanofibers, with an emphasis on their categorization, processability, and environmental sustainability. Synthetic polymers, natural polymers, and bio-based biodegradable alternatives are systematically analyzed in terms of their physicochemical properties and compatibility with essential fiber-forming techniques, including electrospinning, solution blow spinning, melt spinning, and centrifugal spinning. The impact of molecular weight, solubility, rheology, crystallinity, and thermal properties on fiber production and scalability is examined comprehensively. The chapter also assesses sustainability factors, including renewable feedstocks, life-cycle effects, recyclability, and end-of-life conditions. Innovative approaches for minimizing environmental impacts—such as eco-friendly solvents, melt processing techniques, and bio-based polymers—are emphasized. A framework for the development of next-generation polymeric microfibers and nanofibers is presented, in which materials science, processing engineering, and sustainability viewpoints are combined in accordance with circular economy concepts.