Sulfur copolymer (poly(S-r-CEA)) was synthesized via facile inverse vulcanization of elemental sulfur with 2-carboxyethyl acrylate (CEA). Polysulfide (PS) oligomer was soluble to common solvents including DMF, producing homogenous dope solution with PAN as filler. PS-PAN was electrospun resulting to nanofiber membrane effective for Hg2+ sequestration with recorded maximum capacity of 612 mg g-1 based on Langmuir model isotherm. Kinetics, selectivity and reusability were also evaluated. This work presents new and cheap yet effective material for heavy metal sequestration from contaminated water. This work was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2015R1A2A1A15055407) and by the Ministry of Education (No. 2009-0093816).

Novel processable sulfur copolymer (poly(S-r-CEA)) was synthesized via facile inverse vulcanization of elemental sulfur with 2-carboxyethyl acrylate (CEA). This polysulfide was electrospun producing sulfur-rich nanofiber and tested for heavy metal sequestration. Adsorption experiments show very high and efficient Hg2+ adsorption. This work extends the novelty of inverse vulcanization chemistry by developing method for preparation of material based on inverse vulcanized polysulfide. Consequently, a new and cheap yet effective material was prepared for heavy metal sequestration from contaminated water. This work was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2015R1A2A1A15055407) and by the Ministry of Education (No. 2009-0093816).

Synthesis of Li+-selective 14-crown ether (CE) having rigid and bulky subunits was reported. CE-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) dope solutions were electrospun. CEs were immobilized on PVA matrix via acid-catalyzed acetalization using novel aerosol method. Structures of new compounds and their immobilization to PVA were confirmed and characterized. Adsorption experiments show superior lithium capacity and selectivity among previously reported solid-supported CEs. Dihydroxy-dibenzo-14-crown-4 ether-PVA nanofiber membrane showed superior performance. This work was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2015R1A2A1A15055407) and by the Ministry of Education (No. 2009-0093816).