Adhesion and binding are important properties of nanofibers for a variety of applications in materials for filters, protective devices, and in controlled release of bioactive molecules and tissue engineering. As an overview of researches on adhesion and binding in nanofibrous materials, this article discusses studies in adhesion between micro/nanoparticles and nanofibers, and provides an introduction to research work intended to enhance adhesion/binding between nanofibrous substrates and proteins/cells so as to improve the performance of nanofibrous scaffolds in tissue engineering. (C) Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2010