In this study, a one-step electrospinning method was developed for the fabrication of polyamide nanofibrous mats with controllable structure and enhanced wetting behavior. The effects of the concentration of Triton X-100 as the surfactant, as well as formic acid and dichloromethane solvents on characteristics of electrospun nanofibrous mats were investigated. The fibers' diameter and pore size distribution of mats were deliberated by scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, to characterize the wettability of fibers, the roughness of their surface was evaluated by atomic force microscopy along with measuring the droplets contact angle on the mats surface. The results revealed that adding the surfactant not only improved the electrospinning of nanofibers, but also increased the mat hydrophilicity. Furthermore, changing the polymer solvent altered the mat roughness and consequently its wettability. In general, adjusting the nanofibers' roughness and diameter, mat pore size distribution, and water contact angle could increase the water permeability through the mat. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.