As with any emerging process, the full potential of electrospinning and the property of its nanofiber assemblies are yet to be realized. Incorporation of drugs within nanofibers and fabrication of ceramic nanofibers are some recently discovered capabilities of electrospinning. For a given polymer material, the nanofiber membrane displays a water contact angle of 140 degree compared to 60 degree for film form, an indication of superhydrophobicity. More in-depth research studies need to be conducted in order to discover other unique properties and capabilities of electrospun fiber assemblies and electrospinning process, respectively.

Although current nanofiber non-woven mesh produced by electrospinning can be used in many applications, with a production rate that surpasses many other nanotechnologies, more can be done to improve the quality and quantity of the nanofibers and the mesh produced. Much is known about the electrospinning process, but it still requires development in order to produce fibers of consistent quality and in large quantities efficiently. With more in-depth understanding, we will be able to increase the production rate of nanofibers - thus driving down cost and making it more commercially viable.

Production of continuous nanofibrous yarn

While electrospinning is inherently a chaotic process producing only non-woven fiber mesh, we have managed to fabricate mesh with varying degrees of fiber alignment. A recent break through in our electrospinning process has been our ability to produce micron size yarn, consisting of electrospun fibers, at a rate of 70m/min that can be woven into fabrics. Investigations on nanofiber application and process optimization, electrospinning will become the dominant production process for nanofibers and associated meshes, which will yield major breakthroughs and applications in this century.