Hollow microfibers: revolutionary materials from the microscopic world to macroscopic applications

In today's era of rapid technological development, materials science is driving progress in various fields at an unprecedented speed. Among them, hollow microfibers, as a material with unique structure and function, are gradually becoming a hot spot for research and application.

There are many methods for preparing hollow microfibers, mainly including microfluidics, thermoplastic molding, laser ablation, etc. These methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, but they are all committed to achieving efficient and controllable production processes.

Microfluidics is a high-precision manufacturing method that forms hollow microfibers by precisely controlling the flow of fluids. For example, hollow Ca-alginate microfibers with controllable structures and functions can be continuously produced using microfluidic equipment. This method can not only accurately control the diameter and wall thickness of the fiber, but also add functional components such as magnetic nanoparticles inside the fiber.

Thermoplastic molding is a method that uses thermoplastic materials to deform at high temperatures and cool to form. Metallic glass (MG) hollow microfibers are prepared by thermoplastic molding technology. This method is suitable for preparing high-strength, conductive metal hollow microfibers, which are widely used in electrochemistry, medicine, and biomedicine.

Laser ablation technology locally heats the material through a laser beam, causing it to melt and form a hollow structure. For example, CO2 laser ablation can continuously produce polypropylene hollow fibers. This method is suitable for preparing various polymer hollow fibers with high production efficiency and flexibility.

Hollow microfibers have many properties due to their unique structure and function, which make them have wide application potential in many fields.

The high specific surface area of ​​hollow microfibers makes them perform well in fields such as filtration, adsorption, and catalysis. For example, hollow Ca-alginate microfibers show performance in filtration and adsorption applications.

Hollow microfibers generally have high mechanical strength and flexibility, which makes them very useful in biomedical and engineering applications. Metallic glass hollow microfibers have high strength and good conductivity, which are suitable for electrochemical sensors and biomedical devices.

By adding functional components inside the hollow microfibers, a variety of functions can be achieved. For example, by adding magnetic nanoparticles inside the hollow microfibers, magnetic functions can be achieved; by adding bioactive substances, they can be used for cell culture and drug release.

Hollow microfibers have great application prospects in many fields due to their unique characteristics and wide application potential.
Hollow microfibers perform well in the fields of filtration and separation. Hollow Ca-alginate microfibers have performance in liquid filtration and gas separation. Hollow nanofibers also show efficient filtration effects in air filtration and liquid filtration.

Hollow microfibers have a wide range of applications in the biomedical field. By adding bioactive substances inside the hollow microfibers, they can be used for cell culture and drug release. Hollow microfibers can also be used to make biosensors and bioelectronic devices.

Hollow microfibers also show great potential in the field of environmental monitoring. Gas sensors based on hollow SnO2 microfibers can be used to detect triethylamine gas; hollow microfibers based on 2D conductive polymer/graphene skeletons can be used for ultrasensitive liquid environment monitoring.

Hollow microfibers also have important applications in the fields of energy and catalysis. By adding catalysts inside hollow microfibers, efficient catalytic reactions can be achieved; by adding conductive materials inside hollow microfibers, high-performance batteries and supercapacitors can be manufactured.

As a material with unique structure and function, hollow microfibers are gradually becoming a research hotspot in the field of materials science. Its wide application in filtration, biomedicine, environmental monitoring, energy, catalysis and other fields shows great potential. With the continuous deepening of research and the continuous advancement of technology, hollow microfibers will play a more important role in the future.