The preparation, properties and application of carbon fibers for SPME

The conditions of preparation of new types of carbon fibers for solid phase micro extraction (SPME) prepared by methylene chloride pyrolysis (at 600 °C) on the quartz fiber (100 μm) as well as by supporting synthetic active carbon (prepared especially for this purposes) supported in a special epoxide-acrylic polymer is described. The properties of such carbon fibers for SPME were defined by determination of the partition coefficient of the tested substances (i.e., benzene, toluene, xylenes, trichloromethane and tetrachloromethane) and by the microscopic investigations with the application of the optical and scanning electron microscope.

The obtained carbon SPME fibers were applied to the analysis of some volatile organic compounds from its aqueous matrix. During chromatographic GC test, at the investigated SPME carbon fibers, we obtained different but mostly high partition coefficients for the determined compounds (Kfs from 120 for trichloromethane up to 11,500 for tetrachloromethane).

Owing to the high partition coefficients of the studied substances obtained on carbon fibers, it was possible to do the analysis of organic substances occurring in trace amounts in different matrices. In this paper, we present the analysis of BTX contents in the petrol analyzed with the application carbonized with CH₂Cl₂ SPME fiber (C1NM) and a headspace over the petrol sample (concentration of each BTX g/dm³).