An integrated automatic lab-in-syringe sol-gel coated foam microextraction platform as a front-end to high performance liquid chromatography for the migration studies of bisphenol A

The proof-of-concept of an integrated automatic foam microextraction lab-in-syringe (FME-LIS) platform coupled to high performance liquid chromatography is presented. Three different sol-gel coated foams were synthesized, characterized, and conveniently packed inside the glass barrel of the LIS syringe pump, as an alternative approach for sample preparation, preconcentration and separation. The proposed system efficiently combines the inherent benefits of lab-in-syringe technique, the good features of sol-gel sorbents, the versatile nature of foams/sponges, as well as the advantages of automatic systems. Bisphenol A (BPA) was used as model analyte, due to the increasing concern for the migration of this compound from household containers. The main parameters that affect the extraction performance of the system were optimized and the proposed method was validated. The limit of detection for BPA were 0.5 and 2.9 μg L^-1, for a sample volume of 50 mL and 10 mL, respectively. The intra-day precision was <4.7% and the inter-day precision was <5.1% in all cases. The performance of the proposed methodology was evaluated for the migration studies of BPA using different food simulants, as well as for the analysis of drinking water. Good method applicability was observed based on the relative recovery studies (93-103%).

Polypyrrole-Coated Melamine Sponge as a Precursor for Conducting Macroporous Nitrogen-Containing Carbons

Macroporous open-cell melamine sponges were coated with a conducting polymer, polypyrrole, during in-situ oxidative polymerization of pyrrole. Two samples, differing in polypyrrole content, 8.2 and 27.4 wt%, were prepared. They were exposed to various temperatures up to 700 °C in an inert atmosphere. The macroporous structure and mechanical integrity were preserved after this process. This converted both the polypyrrole coating and the melamine sponge to macroporous nitrogen-containing carbons. The changes in molecular structure in the course of carbonization were followed by elemental analysis and FTIR and Raman spectra. The specific surface area of polypyrrole-coated sponge increased from ca. 90 to ca. 300 m2 g−1 along with accompanying increase in the porosity. The conductivity of the sponges was recorded as a function of compression in a newly developed apparatus. The sponge containing 27.4 wt% pyrrole had conductivity of the order of 10−2 S·cm−1 at 0.1 MPa pressure, which was reduced by four orders of magnitude when exposed to 400–500 °C and nearly recovered after the temperature reached 700 °C. The sponges were tested in electromagnetic radiation shielding and displayed both radiation absorption and, to a lower extent, radiation reflection proportional mainly to the samples’ conductivity.

A semi-automatic solid phase extraction system based on MIL-101(Cr) foam-filled syringe for detection of triazines in vegetable oils

In this study, several metal-organic framework-melamine foam columns were first developed and used as a laboratory-made semi-automatic solid phase extraction packed in syringe adsorber for the extraction of six triazine herbicides from vegetable oil samples coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The metal-organic framework-foam columns were prepared using a simple approach by embedding the solid particles in melamine foam using polyvinylidene difluoride physical encapsulation. The method was applicable to a wide variety of metal-organic framework materials, and the incorporated materials retained their unique properties. Key factors that affect the extraction efficiency, including the MIL-101(Cr) amount, sample flow rate, type and volume of the eluting solvent, and flow rate of eluting solvent, were investigated. Under optimum conditions, the proposed method exhibited low limits of detection (0.017-0.096 ng/mL, S/N = 3) for six triazines. The relative standard deviations calculated for all herbicides ranged from 0.2 to 14.9%. This study demonstrated that the MIL-101(Cr)-foam column can be used as a high-quality adsorption material for the detection of triazines in vegetable oils.

Sponges and Sponge-Like Materials in Sample Preparation: A Journey from Past to Present and into the Future

Even though instrumental advancements are constantly being made in analytical chemistry, sample preparation is still considered the bottleneck of analytical methods. To this end, researchers are developing new sorbent materials to improve and replace existing ones, with the ultimate goal to improve current methods and make them more efficient and effective. A few years ago, an alternative trend was started toward sample preparation: the use of sponge or sponge-like materials. These materials possess favorable characteristics, such as negligible weight, open-hole structure, high surface area, and variable surface chemistry. Although their use seemed promising, this trend soon reversed, due to either the increasing use of nanomaterials in sample preparation or the limited scope of the first materials. Currently, with the development of new materials, such as melamine sponges, along with the advancement in nanotechnology, this topic was revived, and various functionalizations were carried out on such materials. The new materials are used as sorbents in sample preparation in analytical chemistry. This review explores the development of such materials, from the past to the present and into the future, as well as their use in analytical chemistry.

Double network nested foam composites with tunable electromagnetic wave absorption performances

A double network nested SiC_nw/CF foam composite was fabricated with outstanding absorbing properties.

Trace determination of chlorpheniramine in human plasma using magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction based on a graphene oxide/Fe3O4@polythionine nanocomposite combined with high-performance liquid chromatography

Graphene oxide/Fe₃O₄@polythionine (GO/Fe₃O₄@PTh) nanocomposite was fabricated for magnetic dispersive solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolent detection (HPLC) of chlorpheniramine in human plasma.