Increased understanding of the nanoscale structural features of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in directing cell and tissue function has led to the development of materials with nanofibrous architectures to mimic the biophysical cues of natural ECM. This review briefly discusses the importance of structural features within ECM and then examines the techniques that researchers have developed to recreate these structural features in materials. In particular, techniques including electrospinning, phase separation, and self-assembly are discussed in detail for their ability to fabricate nanofibrous scaffolds with various chemical and structural features. Advances in biomedical applications of nanofibrous scaffolds are highlighted with a particular focus on more recent studies to illustrate the current state of the field. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.