Desalination could be a vital technology to meet the world's drinking water needs, and now Korean engineers have developed a new nanofiber membrane that can operate efficiently for long periods.There are a few different ways to desalinate water, but this study focuses on membrane distillation. In this process, the salty brine on one side of the membrane is heated, while the fresh water on the other side remains cold. The membrane is hydrophobic to repel the liquid water, but water vapor from the hot side can still pass through the pores. Due to a vapor pressure difference it drifts over to the cold side, where it recondenses as fresh water.