Novel polyimide materials produced by electrospinning

Electrospinning provides a simple and versatile method for generating continuous ultra-thin fibers. The technique is not only a focus of intense academic investigation, but is also increasingly being applied in industry. Polyimide is a widely used polymer with high thermal stability, high toughness and comprehensive performances. In the last 10 years, reports on preparation of novel PI materials through electrospinning sprung out, including fabrication of carbon fibers by carbonizing the electrospun PI nano-fiber precursor, fabrication of electrospun PI fibrous nanocomposites, fabrication of light and tough electrospun PI fibrous materials, etc. This review summarizes the recent work in polyimide electrospinning. The research prospects and directions of this rapidly developing field are also briefly addressed.