Non‐hydrolytic Sol‐gel Methodology to Prepare a Molecularly Imprinted,Organic‐silica Hybrid‐based Stir Bar for Recognition of Sulfonylurea Herbicides

Based on a molecularly imprinted organic‐silica hybrid‐based stir bar, a pre‐treatment methodology was developed for enrichment of nicosulfuron in aqueous samples. The molecularly imprinted organic‐silica hybrid‐based coating on the outer surface of a glass stir bar was prepared by in‐situ polymerization using nicosulfuron as a template molecule, α‐methacrylic acid as a functional monomer, methacryloxypropytrimethoxysilane as a cross‐linker in the mixture of acetonitrile and trichloromethane (V/V, 7.5:1). To achieve the selective extraction of the target analyte from aqueous samples, several main parameters, including extraction time, pH value and contents of inorganic salt in the sample matrix were investigated. Evidence was also presented by the scanning electronic microscopic images of the imprinted and non‐imprinted stir bars. Then, the extraction efficiency of the stir bar was tested with separate experiments and competitive sorption experiments. These results showed that using six sulfonylureas as substrates the molecularly imprinted organic‐silica hybrid‐based stir bar gave high selectivity for the template, nicosulfuron compared to the non‐imprinted organic‐silica hybrid‐based stir bar. This sorption extraction was coupled to liquid chromatography ultraviolet detection allowing the determination of nicosulfuron from tap water. The method showed good recoveries and precision, 96.0% (RSD 2.7%, n=3) for tap water spiked with 0.125 nmol (25.00 mL sample), suggesting that the stir bar can be successfully applied to the pre‐concentration of nicosulfuron in real aqueous samples.     

Poly(ionic liquids)‐coated stainless‐steel wires packed into a polyether ether ketone tube for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction

An in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction device was developed by packing poly(ionic liquids)‐coated stainless‐steel wires into a polyether ether ketone tube. An anion‐exchange process was performed to enhance the extraction performance. Surface properties of poly(ionic liquids)‐coated stainless‐steel wires were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry. The extraction device was connected to high‐performance liquid chromatography equipment to build an online enrichment and analysis system. Ten polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were used as model analytes, and important conditions including extraction time and desorption time were optimized. The enrichment factors from 268 to 2497, linear range of 0.03–20 μg/L, detection limits of 0.010–0.020 μg/L, extraction and preparation repeatability with relative standard deviation less than 1.8 and 19%, respectively were given by the established online analysis method. It has been used to detect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental samples, with the relative recovery (5, 10 μg/L) in the range of 85.1–118.9%.     

Preparation of a novel sorptive stir bar based on vinylpyrrolidone‐ethylene glycol dimethacrylate monolithic polymer for the simultaneous extraction of diazepam and nordazepam from human plasma

A new monolithic coating based on vinylpyrrolidone‐ethylene glycol dimethacrylate polymer was introduced for stir bar sorptive extraction. The polymerization step was performed using different contents of monomer, cross‐linker and porogenic solvent, and the best formulation was selected. The quality of the prepared vinylpyrrolidone‐ethylene glycol dimethacrylate stir bars was satisfactory, demonstrating good repeatability within batch (relative standard deviation < 3.5%) and acceptable reproducibility between batches (relative standard deviation < 6.0%). The prepared stir bar was utilized in combination with ultrasound‐assisted liquid desorption, followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection for the simultaneous determination of diazepam and nordazepam in human plasma samples. To optimize the extraction step, a three‐level, four‐factor, three‐block Box–Behnken design was applied. Under the optimum conditions, the analytical performance of the proposed method displayed excellent linear dynamic ranges for diazepam (36–1200 ng/mL) and nordazepam (25–1200 ng/mL), with correlation coefficients of 0.9986 and 0.9968 and detection limits of 12 and 10 ng/mL, respectively. The intra‐ and interday recovery ranged from 93 to 106%, and the relative standard deviations were less than 6%. Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of diazepam and nordazepam at their therapeutic levels in human plasma. The novelty of this study is the improved polarity of the stir bar coating and its application for the simultaneous extraction of diazepam and its active metabolite, nordazepam in human plasma sample. The method was more rapid than previously reported stir bar sorptive extraction techniques based on monolithic coatings, and exhibited lower detection limits in comparison with similar methods for the determination of diazepam and nordazepam in biological fluids.     

Preparation of restricted‐access material precolumns by grafting δ‐gluconolactone onto a hybrid silica monolithic column for on‐line solid‐phase extraction of tetracycline residues from milk

A restricted‐access material–hybrid monolithic column was prepared based on single‐component organosiloxane and dynamic grafting of δ‐gluconolactone for on‐line solid phase extraction of tetracycline antibiotic residues from milk. The hybrid monolithic column was prepared in a stainless‐steel chromatographic column using methyltrimethoxysilane as the single precursor. δ‐Gluconolactone was covalently coupled to aminopropyl derivatized hybrid monolithic column, which formed hydrophilic structures on the surface of the pore of the restricted‐access material–hybrid monolithic column. The columns were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption, contact angle analysis, dynamic adsorption, and chromatographic performance evaluation. The restricted‐access material–hybrid monolithic column was applied to the on‐line extraction of tetracycline residues from milk. An enrichment factor of 15.8 and a good sample clean‐up effect were obtained under the optimized conditions. The recoveries of the three spiked milk samples were between 81.7 and 102.5% with relative standard deviations (n = 3) in the range of 2–5%. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) for target compounds were in the range of 3.80–9.03 μg/kg. The results show that the on‐line extraction using the restricted‐access material–hybrid monolithic column was powerful for food sample pretreatment with high selectivity and good clean‐up effect.     

Triazine‐based organic polymers@SiO2 nanospheres for sensitive solid‐phase microextraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Triazine‐based organic polymers@SiO₂ nanospheres were prepared and applied as an extraction coating onto stainless steel wires and the wires were filled into polyetheretherketone tube for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction. Taking polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as targets, main factors affecting extraction performance of the tube were investigated through coupling to high performance liquid chromatography. Under the optimum conditions, an online analytical method for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons was established with large linear ranges (0.010‐20 µg/L), low limits of detection (0.003‐0.010 µg/L), high enrichment factors (533‐2954), and good repeatability (relative standard deviations <1.7% for intraday test, <5.0% for interday test). The analysis method was successfully applied to the detection of trace targets in real water samples and the relative recoveries ranged from 82.9 to 119.9%, which demonstrated the applicability of extraction tube in sample preparation.     

Resorcinol–formaldehyde aerogel coating for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction of estrogens

Resorcinol–formaldehyde aerogel coating was in situ prepared on the surface of basalt fibers. The aerogel coating is uniformly modified onto basalt fibers, and it is very porous according to the characterization by using scanning electron microscopy. An extraction tube was prepared for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction by placing the aerogel‐coated basalt fibers into a polyetheretherketone tube. To evaluate the extraction performance toward five estrogenic compounds, the tube was connected with high performance liquid chromatography, the important extraction and desorption conditions were investigated. An online analytical method for detection of estrogens was developed and presented low limits of detection (0.005–0.030 µg/L), wide linear ranges (0.017–20, 0.033–20, and 0.099–20 µg/L), good linearity (r > 0.9990), and satisfactory repeatability (relative standard deviation < 2.7%). The method was successfully applied to detect trace estrogens in real water samples (bottled pure water and bottled mineral water), satisfactory recoveries were ranged from 80 to 125% with two spiking levels of 2 and 6 µg/L.     

Nano‐MoO3 for highly selective enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction

Nano‐molybdenum trioxide was prepared from nano‐molybdenum disulfide by simple firing in muffle furnace. Nano‐molybdenum trioxide was used as the extraction coating on the stainless steel wire. Four wires were filled in a polyetheretherketone tube to get an extraction tube. The tube was connected to the six‐port valve of a high performance liquid chromatograph, and the online analysis system was constructed. Extraction selectivity of the tube for different types of compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, plasticizers, estrogens, anilines and neonicotinoids, was studied. Good enrichment ability for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, but the extraction efficiency of others was not satisfactory. Using eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as the targets, an analytical method was established after optimizing main factors such as sampling volume, sampling rate, methanol content, and desorption time. The established method exhibited wide linear range to 0.016–20.00 μg/L and low limits of detection to 0.005 μg/L, and the enrichment factors can be up to 2443. The method was applied to the detection of trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tap water and river water, and a good recovery was obtained. The tube showed good durability and chemical stability, and it still remained good extraction effect after more than 140 run.     

Sol–gel polydimethylsiloxane/poly(vinylalcohol)‐coated stir bar sorptive extraction of organophosphorus pesticides in honey and their determination by large volume injection GC

A PDMS/poly(vinylalcohol) (PDMS/PVA) film prepared through a sol–gel process was coated on stir bars for sorptive extraction, followed by liquid desorption and large volume injection–GC–flame photometric detector (LVI–GC–FPD) for the determination of five organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) (phorate, fenitrothion, malathion, parathion, and quinalphos) in honey. The preparation reproducibility of PDMS/PVA‐coated stir bar ranged from 4.3 to 13.4% (n = 4) in one batch, and from 6.0 to 12.6% (n = 4) in batch to batch. And one prepared stir bar can be used for more than 50 times without apparent coating loss. The significant parameters affecting stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) were investigated and optimized. The LODs for five OPPs ranged from 0.013 (parathion) to 0.081 μg/L (phorate) with the RSDs ranging from 5.3 to 14.2% (c = 1 μg/L, n = 6). The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of five OPPs in honey.     

Electropolymerization of single‐walled carbon nanotubes composited with polypyrrole as a solid‐phase microextraction fiber for the detection of acrylamide in food samples using GC with electron‐capture detection

We developed a solid‐phase microextraction coupled to GC with electron‐capture detection method for the detection of acrylamide in food samples. Single‐walled carbon nanotubes and polypyrrole were electropolymerized onto a stainless‐steel wire as a coating, which possessed a homogeneous, porous, and wrinkled surface, chemical and mechanical stability, long lifespan (over 300 extractions), and good extraction efficiency for acrylamide. The linearity range between the signal intensity and the acrylamide concentration was found to be in the range 0.001–1 μg/mL, and the coefficient of determination was 0.9985. The LOD, defined as three times the baseline noise, was 0.26 ng/mL. The reproducibility for each single fiber (n = 6) and the fiber‐to‐fiber (n = 5) repeatability prepared in the same batch were less than 4.1 and 11.2%, respectively.     

Graphene oxide decorated with silver nanoparticles as a coating on a stainless‐steel fiber for solid‐phase microextraction

A novel graphene oxide decorated with silver nanoparticles coating on a stainless‐steel fiber for solid‐phase microextraction was prepared. Scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to characterize the coating surface and showed that silver nanoparticles were dispersed on the wrinkled graphene oxide surface. Coupled to gas chromatography with flame ionization detection, the extraction abilities of the fiber for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were examined in the headspace solid‐phase microextraction mode. The extraction parameters including adsorption time, adsorption temperature, salt concentration, desorption time and desorption temperature were investigated. Under the optimized condition, wide linearity with low limits of detection from 2 to 10 ng/L was obtained. The relative standard deviations for single‐fiber repeatability and fiber‐to‐fiber reproducibility were less than 10.6 and 17.5%, respectively. The enrichment factors were from 1712.5 to 4503.7, showing the fiber has good extraction abilities. Moreover, the fiber exhibited a good stability and could be reused for more than 120 times. The established method was also applied for determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in two real water samples and the recoveries of analytes ranged from 84.4–116.3% with relative standard deviations less than 16.2%.     

Layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly of a novel covalent organic frameworks microextraction coating for analyzing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from aqueous solutions via gas chromatography

In this study, a new covalent organic framework, consisting of tetra(4‐aminophenyl)porphyrin and tris(4‐formyl phenyl)amine, was layer‐by‐layer immobilized on stainless‐steel wire as a coating for microextraction. The fabrication process was easy and controllable under mild conditions. The as‐grown fiber was applied to extract polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in aqueous solution via head‐space solid‐phase microextraction. Furthermore, it was analyzed by gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector. A wide linear range (0.1–50 µg/L), low limits of detection (0.006–0.024 µg/L, signal‐to‐noise ratio = 3), good repeatability (intra‐fiber, n = 6, 3.1–8.50%), and reproducibility (fiber to fiber; n = 3, 5.79–9.98%), expressed as relative standard deviations, demonstrate the applicability of the newly developed coating. This new material was successfully utilized in real sample extraction with a satisfactory result. Potential parameters affecting the extraction efficiency, including extraction temperature and extraction time, salt concentration, agitation speed, sample volume, desorption temperature, and time, were also optimized and discussed.     

Electrochemical preparation of zinc oxide/polypyrrole nanocomposite coating for the highly effective solid‐phase microextraction of phthalate esters

In this work, zinc oxide/polypyrrole nanocomposite coating was fabricated on stainless steel and evaluated as a novel headspace solid‐phase microextraction fiber coating for extraction of ultra‐trace amounts of environmental pollutants, namely, phthalate esters, in water samples. The fiber nanocomposite were prepared by a two‐step process including the electrochemical deposition of polypyrrole on the surface of stainless steel in the first step, and electrochemical deposition of zinc oxide nanosheets in the second step. Porous structure together with zinc oxide nanosheets with the average diameter of 30 nm were observed on the surface by using scanning electron microscopy. The effective parameters on extraction of phthalate esters (i.e., extraction temperature, extraction time, desorption temperature, desorption time, salt concentration, and stirring rate) were investigated and optimized by one‐variable‐at‐a‐time method. Under optimized conditions (extraction temperature, 90°C; extraction time, 40 min; desorption temperature, 270°C; desorption time, 5 min; salt concentration, 25% w/v; and stirring rate, 1000 rpm), the limits of detection were in the range of 0.05–0.8 μg/L, and the repeatability and fiber‐to‐fiber reproducibility were in the ranges of 6.1–7.3% and 8.7–10.2%, respectively.     

Development of a carbon‐nanoparticle‐coated stirrer for stir bar sorptive extraction by a simple carbon deposition in flame

Stir bar sorptive extraction is an environmentally friendly microextraction technique based on a stir bar with various sorbents. A commercial stirrer is a good support, but it has not been used in stir bar sorptive extraction due to difficult modification. A stirrer was modified with carbon nanoparticles by a simple carbon deposition process in flame and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectrometry. A three‐dimensional porous coating was formed with carbon nanoparticles. In combination with high‐performance liquid chromatography, the stir bar was evaluated using five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as model analytes. Conditions including extraction time and temperature, ionic strength, and desorption solvent were investigated by a factor‐by‐factor optimization method. The established method exhibited good linearity (0.01–10 μg/L) and low limits of quantification (0.01 μg/L). It was applied to detect model analytes in environmental water samples. No analyte was detected in river water, and five analytes were quantified in rain water. The recoveries of five analytes in two samples with spiked at 2 μg/L were in the range of 92.2–106% and 93.4–108%, respectively. The results indicated that the carbon nanoparticle‐coated stirrer was an efficient stir bar for extraction analysis of some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.     

Flower‐like layered double hydroxide‐modified stainless‐steel fibers for online in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction of Sudan dyes

Layered double hydroxides are a family of inorganic crystals that have gained a lot of attention due to its special structure and properties such as high porosity, large specific area, and excellent anion exchange ability. In this work, flower‐like NiAl‐layered double hydroxides with high specific area were in situ immobilized onto the stainless steel fibers by bioinspired polydopamine modification method and packed into poly (ether ether) ketone tube for online solid‐phase microextraction with high performance liquid chromatography analysis. Thanks to the high specific surface area and excellent extraction ability of the NiAl‐layered double hydroxides, the fibers showed excellent extraction performance to three Sudan dyes with enrichment factors between 260 to 650 folds. After optimization of the reaction and extraction conditions, an online solid‐phase microextraction method was developed for determination of Sudan dyes in water samples and chili samples. The method has limits of detection of 0.01 to 0.02 ng/mL, good linearity and good reproducibility (≤1.45%).     

Bare polyprolylene hollow fiber as extractive phase for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction to determine estrogens in water samples

Polypropylene hollow fibers as the adsorbent were directly filled into a polyetheretherketone tube for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction. The surface properties of hollow fibers were characterized by a scanning electron microscope. Combined with high performance liquid chromatography, the extraction tube showed good extraction performance for five environmental estrogen hormones. To achieve high analytical sensitivity, four important factors containing sampling volume, sampling rate, content of organic solvent in sample, and desorption time were investigated. Under the optimum conditions, an online analysis method was established with wide linear range (0.03–20 µg/L), good correlation coefficients (≥0.9998), low limits of detection (0.01–0.05 µg/L), low limits of quantitation (0.03–0.16 µg/L), and high enrichment factors (1087–2738). Relative standard deviations (n = 3) for intraday (≤3.6%) and interday (≤5.1%) tests proved the stable extraction performance of the material. Durability and chemical stability of the extraction tube were also investigated, relative standard deviations of all analytes were less than 5.8% (n = 3), demonstrating the satisfactory stability. Finally, the method was successfully applied to detect estrogens in real samples.     

The Determination of Benzoic Acid in Lemon Flavored Beverages by Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction‐CGC‐MS

Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE), a recently introduced solventless extraction technique, was applied for the enrichment of benzoic acid in lemon flavored beverages. The stir bar is covered with 50 mg polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and the extraction mechanism is similar to that of solid phase micro extraction (SPME) but the enrichment factor is ca. 100 times higher. SBSE is followed by thermal desorption (TD)‐capillary gas chromatography (CGC)‐mass spectroscopy (MS). Calibration graphs for benzoic acid were linear from 1 to 1000 ppm for water and diluted soft drinks and the repeatability (n = 6) was less than 5% RSD.     

Inhibiting sorbent stripping by designing a sorbent‐packed porous probe for headspace solid‐phase microextraction

To prevent the stripping of coating sorbents in headspace solid‐phase microextraction, a porous extraction probe with packed sorbent was introduced by using a porous stainless steel needle tube and homemade sol–gel sorbents. The traditional stainless‐steel needle tube was punched by a laser to obtain two rows of holes, which supply a passageway for analyte vapor during extraction and desorption. The sorbent was prepared by a traditional sol–gel method with both poly(ethylene glycol) and hydroxy‐terminated silicone oil as coating ingredients. Eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and six benzene series compounds were used as illustrative semi‐volatile and volatile organic compounds in sequence to verify the extraction performance of this porous headspace solid‐phase microextraction probe. It was found that the analysis method combining a headspace solid‐phase microextraction probe and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry yielded determination coefficients of no less than 0.985 and relative standard deviations of 4.3–12.4%. The porous headspace solid‐phase microextraction probe showed no decrease of extraction ability after 200 uses. These results demonstrate that the packed extraction probe with porous structure can be used for headspace solid‐phase microextraction. This novel design may overcome both the stripping and breakage problems of the conventional coating fiber.     

Mesoporous silica hybridized by ordered mesoporous carbon for in‐tube solid‐phase microextraction

To enhance the extraction performance, a mesoporous silica was modified with ordered mesoporous carbon for solid‐phase microextraction. Three stainless‐steel wires coated with the mesoporous material were placed in a polyetheretherketone tube for getting an extraction tube. The tube was coupled to high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector, and the online analysis system was constructed. Then its extraction performance was evaluated using hydrophobic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates, and hydrophilic neonicotinoids. The best selectivity was presented for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Several main conditions were optimized such as sampling volume, sampling rate, methanol concentration in the sample, and desorption time, a rapid and sensitive analytical method was established toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The analytical method exhibited wide linear range from 0.017 to 15 µg/L with acceptable correlation coefficients more than 0.9990, limits of detection in 0.005‐0.020 µg/L, limits of quantification ranging from 0.017 to 0.066 µg/L as well as large enrichment factors of 377‐2314. It was successfully applied to detect trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in some real water samples including tap water, snow water, and domestic sewage.     

Coupling stir bar sorptive extraction‐dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for preconcentration of triazole pesticides from aqueous samples followed by GC‐FID and GC‐MS determinations

Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) combined with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) has been developed as a new approach for the extraction of six triazole pesticides (penconazole, hexaconazole, diniconazole, tebuconazole, triticonazole and difenconazole) in aqueous samples prior to GC‐flame ionization detection (GC‐FID). A series of parameters that affect the performance of both steps were thoroughly investigated. Under optimized conditions, aqueous sample was stirred using a stir bar coated with octadecylsilane (ODS) and then target compounds on the sorbent (stir bar) were desorbed with methanol. The extract was mixed with 25 μL of 1,1,2,2‐tetrachloroethane and the mixture was rapidly injected into sodium chloride solution 30% w/v. After centrifugation, an aliquot of the settled organic phase was analyzed by GC‐FID. The methodology showed broad linear ranges for the six triazole pesticides studied, with correlation coefficients higher than 0.993, lower LODs and LOQs between 0.53–24.0 and 1.08–80.0 ng/mL, respectively, and suitable precision (RSD < 5.2%). Moreover, the developed methodology was applied for the determination of target analytes in several samples, including tap, river and well waters, wastewater (before and after purification), and grape and apple juices. Also, the presented SBSE‐DLLME procedure followed by GC‐MS determination was performed on purified wastewater. Penconazole, hexaconazole and diniconazole were detected in the purified wastewater that confirmed the obtained results by GC‐FID determination. In short, by coupling SBSE with DLLME, advantages of two methods are combined to enhance the selectivity and sensitivity of the method. This method showed higher enrichment factors (282–1792) when compared with conventional methods of sample preparation to screen pesticides in aqueous samples.     

Mesostructured cellular foam solid‐phase microextraction coating for the highly sensitive recognition of polychlorinated biphenyls in water samples

We herein presented a mesoporous cellular foam solid‐phase microextraction coating that showed highly sensitive recognition for weakly polarity polychlorinated biphenyls in water samples. The mesoporous cellular foam coater fiber was for the first time prepared by a simple sol‐gel method. The main experimental parameters including extraction temperature, extraction time, desorption time, stirring rate, and ionic strength were investigated by high‐efficiency orthogonal array design, a L₁₆ (4⁴) matrix was applied for the identification of optimized extraction parameters, and the optimized method was successfully applied to the analysis of environmental water sample. The novel mesoporous cellular foam coated fibers exhibited sensitive limits of detection (0.07–0.28 µg/L), wide linearity (5–3000 µg/L), and good reproducibility (3.5–8.3% for single fiber, and 4.9–8.7% for fiber‐to‐fiber) for polychlorinated biphenyls. The home‐made coating was successfully used in the analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls in real environmental water samples. These results indicate that the synthesized mesoporous cellular foams are promising materials for adsorption and separation applications in sample pretreatment.