Handheld electrospinning technologies: a comprehensive review

Handheld electrospinning (HES) devices are a groundbreaking advancement from traditional electrospinning, with increased portability, operating adaptability, and on-demand nanofiber generation. In this review, the complex history of evolution, underlying principles, and system devices facilitating electrospinning are discussed in full detail, with specific emphasis given to heading towards miniaturization and user-focusing HES platforms. Mechanisms of fiber formation, types of electrospinning processes, and critical parameters controlling fiber morphology—e.g., solution properties, environmental conditions, and collector geometries—are comprehensively covered. The review also presents the discussion on material selection, encapsulation techniques, and advanced surface engineering techniques to be used in the fabrication of functional nanofibers. Engineering aspects of HES apparatus design, e.g., miniaturization, power supply configurations, nozzle designs, and deposition control, are stringently discussed. Applications of HES from different disciplines, such as wound dressing, wearable electronics, rapid prototyping, and targeted biomedical and environmental applications, are addressed. Regulatory problems, market movements, and available HES products in the market are also addressed, supported by bibliometric and patent analyses that highlight the growth patterns and innovation landscape of the subject area. Preclinical and clinical studies are addressed to put translational progress into perspective, and the key problems in device operation, regulatory compliance, and commercialization are identified. Emerging new future trends—such as AI-enabled optimization, smart biomaterials, transdisciplinary integration, and eco-manufacturing—are highlighted as being essential to achieving a breakthrough in HES technologies. This review will act as a reference point for the development, implementation, and extension of HES in research and applied environments.

Ali Bakhshi, Mahya Bakhshi, Mojtaba Hosseine, Hedieh Sadat Shamsnia, Ali Samadi. Handheld electrospinning technologies: a comprehensive review. Progress in Materials Science (2025), 101614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmatsci.2025.101614

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