Recent advances in electrospun polymer-filler nanofibers: From materials to multifunctional sensors

Electrospinning offers a practical route to produce nanostructured fibers with controlled morphology and tunable properties, making it a valuable platform for sensor development. In this review, we examine how different polymer systems—natural, synthetic, and copolymers—have been tailored for sensing applications, outlining both their limitations and optimization strategies. This review emphasizes composites incorporating functional fillers such as metal oxides, carbon nanomaterials, 2D materials, quantum dots, and perovskites, which impart electrical, catalytic, or optical activity to the fibres. The impact of process parameters on fibre shape, porosity, and functionality is explained through a thorough review of various electrospinning techniques, including solution, melt, coaxial, emulsion, and multi-jet electrospinning. Electrospun materials enable highly sensitive and selective sensors for aerospace, defence, wearable electronics, gas and biosensing, and environmental monitoring, while also emerging as promising platforms for neural interfacing and implantable bioelectronic systems due to their biomimetic architecture and multifunctionality. Industrialization challenges, including cost, sustainability, and integration with AI, machine learning, and IoT for smart sensors, are also addressed. The review illustrates how electrospun polymer composites integrate materials design, synthesis procedures, and manufacturing methods to establish next-generation multifunctional sensor platforms.