Biodegradable Polymer Nanofibers Applied in Slow Release Systems for Agri-Food Applications

Abstract

Polymer nanofibers possess remarkable properties including high aspect ratio, nanoscale diameters, mechanical flexibility, varied morphology and porosity and large surface area for bulk or surface modification. These features make them highly potential for technological applications, where active components can be added to the nanofibers depending on the specific target application. Polymer nanofibers can be produced by several techniques, but electrospinning (ES) and solution blow-spinning (SB-Spinning) are two techniques of outmost importance, once they allow controlling the nanofibers features, including diameter and morphology, combined at a high production rate. Such polymer nanofibers have been applied in biotechnological and medical applications, sensors, catalysts and pollutant adsorption platforms. In agriculture, specifically, nanofibers can be used in the design of slow release systems using biodegradable micro- and nanofibers containing active compounds such as antibiotics, fertilizers and pesticides. Such systems can increase the application efficiency by using a smaller amount of the active material, reducing costs and toxicity-related problems. In this context, in this book chapter the recent developments of biodegradable nanofibers produced by ES and SB-Spinning containing active compounds for slow release system aiming at agricultural and food applications are reviewed and presented.