Electrospun porous nanofibers have large specific surface areas and abundant active centers, which can effectively improve the properties of nanofibers. In the field of photocatalysis, electrospun porous nanofibers can increase the contact area of loaded photocatalytic particles with light, shorten the electron transfer path, and improve photocatalytic activity. In this paper, the main pore−forming mechanisms of electrospun porous nanofiber are summarized as breath figures, phase separation (vapor−induced phase separation, non−solvent−induced phase separation, and thermally induced phase separation) and post−processing (selective removal). Then, the application of electrospun porous nanofiber loading photocatalytic particles in the degradation of pollutants (such as organic, inorganic, and bacteria) in water is introduced, and its future development prospected. Although porous structures are beneficial in improving the photocatalytic performance of nanofibers, they reduce their mechanical properties. Therefore, strategies for improving the mechanical properties of electrospun porous nanofibers are also briefly discussed.

Electrospun porous nanofibers have gained a lot of interest recently in various fields because of their adjustable porous structure, high specific surface area, and large number of active sites, which can further enhance the performance of materials. This paper provides an overview of the common polymers, preparation, and applications of electrospun porous nanofibers. Firstly, the polymers commonly used to construct porous structures and the main pore-forming methods in porous nanofibers by electrospinning, namely the template method and phase separation method, are introduced. Secondly, recent applications of electrospun porous nanofibers in air purification, water treatment, energy storage, biomedicine, food packaging, sensor, sound and wave absorption, flame retardant, and heat insulation are reviewed. Finally, the challenges and possible research directions for the future study of electrospun porous nanofibers are discussed.

With the great demand for flexible self‐powered sensors and nanogenerators, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is widely investigated for outstanding piezoelectric and dielectric constant. In the pursuit for increasing β content, electrospinning is exhibited to be an effective method without external high voltage pooling or mechanical stretching and thus is considered a cost‐effective and simple method, because the molecular dipoles in the PVDF can be aligned during the process of electrospinning with high voltage field and stretching. The methods for improving piezoelectric characteristics are briefly introduced in this review, electrospinning fibers including uniaxial fibers, highly aligned fibers, core–shell fibers and Janus fibers are revealed, and research on theoretical modeling is carried out for efficiency in the design of piezoelectric nanogenerator. Last, studies on prospective applications based on electrospun PVDF and its copolymer PVDF‐TrFE, from sensors to smart skin, from energy harvesters to electronic textiles, are being conducted.

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