Carbon Nanofibers for Sustainable Nanotechnology: Synthesis, Functionalization, and Applications in Energy, Catalysis, Environmental Remediation, and Biomedicine

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are versatile one-dimensional nanomaterials that combine the unique properties of graphene with the practical materials engineering. Their unique combination of high electrical conductivity, tunable porosity, mechanical flexibility and functional surfaces makes them suitable for applications in energy storage and conversion, electrocatalysis, environmental remediation and nanomedicine. The practical potential of these materials is further enhanced by the use of sustainable biomass-derived precursors and by catalytic chemical vapor deposition and scalable electrospinning. The future development should be toward greener and solvent-free synthesis methods with the use of renewable biomass resources, energy-efficient carbonization technologies such as flash Joule heating and continuous microwave pyrolysis, as well as high throughput needleless electrospinning for uniform fiber production. At the same time, standardized procedures for life-cycle assessment and occupational safety are required to assess environmental impacts and to ensure responsible manufacturing. These advances can reduce production costs, improve sustainability and accelerate the transition of CNFs from laboratory-scale materials to safe, scalable and technologically important components for advanced applications.

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