An electropolymerized aniline-based fiber coating for solid phase microextraction of phenols from water

An aniline-based polymer was electrochemically prepared and applied as a new fiber coating for solid phase microextraction (SPME) of some priority phenols from water samples. The polyaniline (PANI) film was directly electrodeposited on the platinum wire surface in sulfuric acid solution using cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique. The efficiency of new coating was investigated using a laboratory-made SPME device and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection for the extraction of some phenols from the headspace of aqueous samples. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed the homogeneity and the porous surface structure of the film. The results obtained proved the ability of this polymer as a suitable SPME fiber coating for trapping the selected phenols. Influential parameters affecting the extraction process were optimized and an extraction time of 50 min at 50 °C gave maximum efficiency, when the aqueous sample was saturated with NaCl and adjusted at pH 2. This new coating can be prepared easily in a reproducible manner and it is rather inexpensive and stable against most of organic solvents. The PANI thickness can be precisely controlled by the number of CV cycles. At the optimum conditions, the R.S.D. for a double distilled water spiked with phenol and chlorophenols at ppb level were 4.8-17% (n = 3) and detection limits for the studied compounds were between 0.69 and 3.7 ng ml⁻¹, except for phenol and 4-chlorophenol. The optimized method was successfully applied to some real-life water samples.