Electrospinning is a versatile process to obtain continuous carbon nanofibres at low cost. Thermoplastic and thermosetting polymer precursors are utilized to prepare electrospun carbon nanofibres, activated carbon nanofibres through chemical and/or physical activation and functionalized composite carbon nanofibres by surface coating or electrospinning a precursor solution tailored with nanomaterials. Many promising applications of electrospun carbon nanofibres can be expected if appropriate microstructural, mechanical and electrical properties become available. This article provides an in‐depth review of the research activities regarding several varieties and performance requirements of precursor nanofibres, polyacrylonitrile‐based carbon nanofibres and their functionalized products, and carbon nanofibres from other precursors. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry

Pore formation of lipid bilayers under mechanical stress is critical to biological processes. A series of coarse grained molecular dynamics simulations of lipid bilayers with carbon nanoparticles different in size have been performed. Surface tension was applied to study the disruption of lipid bilayers by nanoparticles and the formation of pores inside the bilayers. The presence of small nanoparticles enhances the probability of water penetration thus decreasing the membrane rupture tension, while big nanoparticles have the opposite effect. Nanoparticle volume affects bilayer strength indirectly, and particle surface density can complicate the interaction. The structural, dynamic, elastic properties and lateral densities of lipid bilayers with nanoparticles under mechanical stress were analyzed. The results demonstrate the ability of nanoparticles to adjust the structural and dynamic properties of a lipid membrane, and to efficiently regulate the pore formation behavior and hydrophobicity of membranes.

A preliminary study of the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE) using metal coating films and a vacuum evaporation deposition technique with the woven fabrics made of metal/PET filaments is presented. Using coaxial transmission equipment, the EMSE of these films and fabrics was measured in the frequency range 2250—2650 MHz. The experimental results indicate that different coating materials have different EMSE, with a thicker coating film having a higher EMSE. In addition, a woven fabric with lower aperture ratio made from metal/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) filaments has higher EMSE, and the electromagnetic shielding of polarized electromagnetic waves possesses orientation effects. The paper provides theoretical guidance for designing flexible electromagnetic shielding products.

Phase behavior of lipid bilayers at high pressure is critical to biological processes. Using coarse grained molecular dynamic simulations, we report critical characteristics of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers with applied high pressure, and also show their phase transition by cooling bilayer patches. Our results indicate that the phase transition temperature of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers obviously shifts with pressure increasing in the rate of 37 °C kbar(-1), which are in agreement with experimental data. Moreover, the main phase transition is revealed to be strongly dependent on lipid area. A critical lipid area of ~0.57 nm(2) is found on the main phase transition boundary. Similar structures of acyl chains lead to the same sensitivity of phase transition temperature of different lipids to the pressure. Based on the lateral density and pressure profiles, we also discuss the different effects on bilayer structure induced by high temperature and high pressure, e.g., increasing temperature induces higher degree of interdigitation of lipid tails and thinner bilayers, and increasing pressure maintains the degree of interdigitation and bilayer thickness.

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