Ag+-loaded polystyrene (PS) nanofibrous membranes were prepared by electrospinning combined with crosslinking, sulfonation, and ion-exchange. The adsorption experiments of thiophene were carried out using the fibrous membranes with maximum silver ion loading. The membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis). The characterization results suggested that the silver ions were successfully loaded on the PS nanofibers. With increase of the sulfonation time, the ion-exchange capacity (IEC) of membranes increased first and then decreased. The IEC could reach the maximum value when sulfonation time of membranes was 60 min, and the loading amount of silver ion was about 5.7 mmol/g. The obtained Ag+-loaded PS nanofibrous membranes were used to adsorb the thiophene and the results indicated that the thiophene can be removed effectively. The functionalized electrospun membrane used as the adsorption media of removing thiophene can enrich the adsorbent species and its high adsorption due to the large specific surface could supply broad application prospects for deep desulfurization. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.