Breakthrough polymer nanofiber technology for water purification

Water will soon follow energy as one of the new challenges of the 21st century. With global warming and a population reaching over 9 billion by 2050, there is simply not enough usable water for many parts of the world because the distribution of usable water on earth is extremely uneven and most people do not live only in regions where there is plenty of accessible usable water. Current polymer-based technology development suggests promising leads on many facets of water purification that may achieve the requirements of cost effectiveness and large scale operations in the near future by using a multi-disciplinary approach with polymers as the promising materials that form the basis of the breakthrough technology. Aside from the use of carbon nanotubes, bio-based water channels, and additives, we describe breakthroughs on nanofibrous membranes by increasing the porosity of the mid-layer support and strengthening the thin top layer that can form a stronger nanocomposite with water channels.