Nanofibers are described as fibers with diameters below 100 nanometers. In the textile industry, this description is often extended to involve fibers, as big as 1000 nm diameter. They can be manufactured by interfacial polymerization; melt processing; electrostatic spinning; antisolvent-induced polymer precipitation; and electrospinning. Carbon nanofibers are graphitized fibers that are manufactured by catalytic synthesis. Inorganic nanofibers can be made from many types of inorganic substances by various techniques. The most frequently used ceramic materials with nanofiber morphology are silicon dioxide (SiO2); aluminum oxide (Al2O3); titanium dioxide (TiO2); zirconium dioxide (ZrO2); titanium nitride (TiN) or platinum (Pt); and, lithium titanate (Li4Ti5O12). Manufacturing methods involves electrospinning or "island in the sea”; antisolvent-induced polymer precipitation; melt processing; and, direct drawing from a solution. The Global nanofibers market is expected to grow with the CAGR of 25% by 2022.
Global nanofibers market is estimated to witness high growth, with its rising applications in mining; military; construction industries; transportation; and, filtration. Rising adoption of nanofibers in the electronics industry is expected to further fuel the market growth. Rising technical textile industry is also expected to boost the demand for nanofibers. Technical textiles involves nonwovens manufactured from approximately 25% of global fiber application; that, is a major part of nanofibers and the growth of technical textiles will act as a major driver for the nanofibers market. There has been a wide range of applications of nanofibers from industrial to high-tech and medical to consumer products.
Global nanofiber market is also estimated to grow due to the rising popularity of carbon nanofibers; however, high toxicity and health hazards are expected to be a prime challenge in the market growth. Nanofibers has wide opportunities with the major properties such as permeability of layers; electrical and optical quality; high strength; and, high porosity make them perfectly suited for the utilization in health and personal care applications; environmental protection; food and packaging; and, liquid and air filtration. The diameters of nanofibers changes in the area of tens to hundreds of nanometers, providing different opportunities for its usage in many areas. There has been solubility issue in carbon nanotubes that are acting as a restraint for the market.
Nanofibers market is segmented on the basis of applications, including Healthcare market; Photonics & Electronics Market; Filtration Market; Composites Market; Energy market; Textiles market; Automotive market; Aviation & Aerospace market; and, others. Filtration application had the major share under the application segment of the nanofibers market due to the rising demand of water, air, and gas filters. The application of nanofibers has increased the efficiency and productions of filters as nanofibers are capable of trapping finest impurities, while allowing the highest possible flow rate without any obstruction in the filter. Filtration systems are also utilized in burning engine filtration medium in automobiles that is expected to further drive the growth of global nanofibers market. In the healthcare segment, nanofibers discovering their applications in wound care, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Nanofiber substances, potentially support cell proliferation and allow tissue replacement made from a patient’s cell. The healthcare application segment is expected to be the fastest growing application segment in the global nanofiber technology market due to rising opportunities for nanofibers in the medical field.
On the basis of geography, North America is the leading region in the global nanofibers market due to its application in biomedical industry; and, is followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The U.S. is the global leader in the nanofiber technology. The usage of nanofibers is estimated to take a high growth in the next seven years because of their high compatibility and biodegradability with nonwovens. The application of nanofibers is expected to enhance as the nanofibers with dimensions above 100nm are not regulated and are distinct from nanoparticles that has opened new avenues for high growth in food and packaging industry. Cellulose nanofibers are also starting to make an effect in electronics and composites applications.
Some of the major players of the market include Ahlstrom Corporation; Applied Sciences, Inc.; Argonide Corporation; Asahi Kasei Fibers Corporation; biomers; Catalytic Materials LLC; Clearbridge Nanomedics; Daicel Finechem Chemicals Ltd.; Donaldson Company Inc.; Dreamweaver International Inc.; Dupont; Elmarco; Esfil Techno AS; Grupo Antolin, etc. These major companies have adopted various strategies such as mergers, acquisitions, partnership, and product launch, etc. to expand their market share. One of the strategy adopted by the major players Dreamweaver International Inc. are as follows: On Oct’ 2014, Dreamweaver International launches line of nanofiber separators for supercapacitors. They have been functioning with high supercapacitor producers for more than two years for developing Silver AR and Silver AR materials that are designed to have higher capacitance; tensile strength; with lower moisture content; and, lower internal resistance. Supercapacitors are energy saving devices which is same as batteries, but with ten times more power potential as a lithium ion battery. This enables them to deliver and capture energy much easier and faster.
