Nanofibrous material was prepared by needle-free electrospinning from a mixture of chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol of equal masses. The conditions for converting it to an insoluble form by heat treatment were studied. The effectiveness of using chitosan-containing nanofibrous material for absorption of uranyl ions from processing solutions and the potential of using it in cell engineering and regenerative medicine were demonstrated. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.