Electrospun nanofibers can be coated on monofilaments, resulting in a nanostructured surface. The nanostructured surface is tunable by controlling the electrospinning process but the coating has low abrasion resistance. To overcome this, in this study hybrid yarns were developed by twisting nanofiber-coated filaments. In the hybrid yarns, the monofilaments provide structural integrity and mechanical properties, while the nanofibrous surface can be used to meet the functional requirements. Results showed that the abrasion resistance of hybrid yarns was significantly greater compared with simple nano-coated structures. This is due to the locking of the coating by the twist in the hybrid yarns. However, the twisted hybrid yarns tended to snarl in a tension-free state, leading to processing difficulties. This problem was solved by creating a balanced two-strand plied hybrid structure. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.