Forward osmosis (FO) has emerged as one of the most promising technologies for seawater desalination. Despite the progress in membrane technology, draw solutions are still limited in terms of its reusability thereby hampering its economic viability. Hydrophilic ILs can be easily dissolved in water to constitute a DS. ILs are environmentally benign due to their high thermal stability and negligible vapor pressure. Hydrophilic ILs can be easily dissolved in water to constitute a DS. ILs are environmentally benign due to their high thermal stability and negligible vapor pressure. This work was supported by NRF funded by the Korea government funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (2016R1A2B1009221 and 2017R1A2B2002109) and Ministry of Education (2009-0093816 and 22A20130012051(BK21Plus)).

Membrane fabrication is a critical area that hampers forward osmosis (FO) technology from industrialization. Herein, electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofiber (NF) was used as a support layer for thin film composite (TFC) FO membrane. The PVA NF was incorporated with sulfonated graphene oxide (sGO). The oxygenous-rich sGO enhanced the hydrophilicity and mechanical strength of PVA NF as revealed by contact angle and tensile strength measurements, and pure water flux. On this support, the active polyamide layer was formed through interfacial polymerization. Meanwhile, FO performance of sGO/PVA TFC membrane is currently being evaluated. This work was supported by NRF of Korea funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (2016R1A2B1009221 and 2017R1A2B2002109) and Ministry of Education (2009-0093816 and 22A20130012051 (BK21Plus)).

Piezodialysis involves the preferential permeation of ions over water molecules through charge mosaic membranes (CMM). This energy-efficient process incites interest as an alternative route to water desalination. But the development of effective CMMs remains a challenge due to their difficult fabrication. Herein, preparation of the positive and negative domains of a CMM were optimized. Negative poly(sodium styrene sulfonate) was blended in poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix, same as that of the positive poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride). Results reveal that a balance between the two domains is critical for the CMM to achieve high salt enrichment and mechanical stability. This work was supported by NRF funded by the Korea government (MSIP) (No. 2017R1A2B2002109) and Basic Science Research Program of Ministry of Education (2009-0093816).

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).

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 research 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 Ministry of Education (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).