Functionalized polymer nanofibers: a versatile platform for manipulating light at the nanoscale

As an organic optical fiber with a diameter comparable to or less than the wavelength of light, polymer nanofibers have been attracting increasing attention as a platform for manipulating light at the nanoscale. A variety of applications for polymer optical nanofibers, including waveguides, light sources and sensors, have been reported in recent years. In this article, the recent progress in the field of polymer optical nanofibers is reviewed in terms of their fabrication, characterization and applications. In particular, we focus on functionalized polymer nanofibers doped with functional materials, such as dye molecules, noble metal nanoparticles, quantum dots and rare earth ions, which greatly expand their capabilities of generating, propagating, converting and modulating light at the nanoscale.