Keggin type phosphotungstic acid intercalated copper-chromium-layered double hydroxide reinforced porous hollow fiber as a sorbent for hollow fiber solid phase microextraction of selected chlorophenols besides their quantification via high performance liquid chromatography

Herein, a copper-chromium-layered double hydroxide (Cu/Cr-LDH) was synthesized by the co-precipitation method. The Cu/Cr-LDH was intercalated to the Keggin-type polyoxometalate (H₃PW₁₂O₄₀). The modified LDH accommodated in the pores of hollow fiber (HF), to prepare the extracting device for the HF-solid phase microextraction method (HF-SPME). The method was used for the extraction of 4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, and 2,4,6- trichlorophenol from tap water, river water, and tea sample. The extracted target analytes were quantified via high-performance liquid chromatography-UV detection. The figures of merit of the method such as, linear dynamic ranges (LDRs), limit of detections (LODs) and, limit of quantifications (LOQs), were determined based on the obtained optimum condition. Based on the results, the LDR was between 1 and 500 μg L ^- 1 and r² higher than 0.9960. The LODs and LOQs were obtained in the ranges of 0.28-0.36 µg L ^- 1 and 0.92-1.1 µg L ^- 1, respectively. The relative standard deviations ((RSDs% for inter-and intra-day) of the method for the extraction of target analytes were calculated in two different concentrations of (2 and 10 μg L ^- 1) and (5 and 10 μg L ^- 1) between 3.70% - 5.30% and 3.50% - 5.70%-respectively. The enrichment factors were obtained between 57 and 61. In order to investigate the accuracy of the method, also the relative recovery was obtained, between 93 and 105%. Finally, the proposed method was used for the extraction of the selected analytes in different water and tea samples.

A comprehensive review of hydrophobic silica and composite aerogels: synthesis, properties and recent progress towards environmental remediation and biomedical applications

The hydrophobicity of silica and composite aerogels has enabled them to acquire applications in a variety of fields. With remarkable structural, morphological, and physiochemical properties such as high porosity, surface area, chemical stability, and selectivity, these materials have gained much attention of researchers worldwide. Moreover, the hydrophobic conduct has enabled these aerogels to adsorb substances, i.e., organic pollutants, without collapsing the pore and network structure. Hence, considering such phenomenal properties and great adsorption potential, exploiting these materials for environmental and biomedical applications is trending. The present study explores the most recent advances in synthetic approaches and resulting properties of hydrophobic silica and composite aerogels. It presents the various precursors and co-precursors used for hydrophobization and gives a comparative analysis of drying methods. Moreover, as a major focus, the work presents the recent progress where these materials have shown promising results for various environmental remediation and biomedical applications. Finally, the bottlenecks in synthesis and applicability along with future prospects are given in conclusions.

Carbon aerogels derived from waste paper for pipette-tip solid-phase extraction of triazole fungicides in tomato, apple and pear

In order to develop environmentally friendly, economical and facile preparation method of carbon aerogels (CAs), the waste printing paper as the raw material was combined with graphene oxide and carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotubes to produce CAs (ρ = 44 mg cm^-3). The CAs with different composition were investigated, the addition of graphene oxide led to the reduction of adsorption sites and the reduction of extraction performance. But the carbon nanotubes made CAs have a better pore structure. The CAs as adsorbent were loaded into a pipette-tip for solid-phase extraction of hexaconazole and diniconazole. Coupled with gas chromatography, an analytical method was established under the optimized conditions. The limits of detection were between 0.08 and 0.32 mg kg^-1, the linear ranges were 0.96-200.0 mg kg^-1 and 0.24-200.0 mg kg^-1. The relative recoveries were in the range of 81.0-119%. The results indicated that the method had potential application for the determination of triazole fungicides.

Relationship between graphene and pedosphere: A scientometric analysis

The mass production and application of graphene have gradually expanded from academic research to industrial applications, which will inevitably lead to graphene entering the soil actively and passively. Therefore, the relationship between graphene and the pedosphere has attracted a lot of attention in the last decade. The most important question is whether graphene will harm soil health. Fortunately, the evidence is that graphene can alter soil physicochemical properties and microbial communities to some extent, but not dramatically. On this basis, the role of graphene in soil has been investigated in all directions. This review summarizes the literature on the relationship between graphene and soils. Topics include remediation and sensing of soil using graphene materials, the effects of graphene on soil, and the effects of graphene in soil on plant growth. At the same time, this review also uses bibliometrics to review the history of the topic. The number of papers published each year, participating countries, participating institutions and important articles were analyzed in detail. Finally, based on the published literature, we described the future perspectives of graphene and the pedosphere.

基于氧化石墨烯气凝胶固相萃取柱检测有机磷农药

以氧化石墨烯气凝胶三维纳米材料作为固相萃取的吸附剂,结合高效液相色谱,对食品中的有机磷农药(辛硫磷、双硫磷、倍硫磷、杀螟硫磷)进行检测分析。首先,利用冷冻干燥的方式制备得到氧化石墨烯气凝胶,通过扫描电镜、红外光谱、比表面积吸附等一系列的实验手段对其形貌及物理特性进行了表征,证明其成功合成。从扫描电镜中可见石墨烯的层状褶皱结构,其表面积为740.51 m²/g。然后,将氧化石墨烯气凝胶直接填充于固相萃取柱中,在未借助任何硅胶等基体的条件下进行萃取研究;通过单因素实验,系统研究了萃取和洗脱条件对有机磷农药萃取回收率的影响。结果显示,在上样体积15 mL、样品溶液pH值4、上样速率1.0 mL/min、洗脱剂1.0 mL乙腈的条件下萃取回收率最高。与商用的萃取材料进行比较,包括碳十八硅胶柱(C18)、阴离子交换柱(SAX)、氨基柱(-NH₂)和硅酸镁柱(Florisil),氧化石墨烯气凝胶填充的固相萃取柱的萃取回收率有明显提高。实验考察了氧化石墨烯气凝胶直接填充的萃取柱的寿命,结果显示该萃取柱可以重复使用15次,可见解决了分散无基体支撑的石墨烯纳米片容易破碎、堵塞筛板的问题。与液相色谱联用建立分析方法,4种有机磷农药的线性范围较宽,辛硫磷、双硫磷和倍硫磷的线性范围为1~200 μg/L,杀螟硫磷的线性范围为2~200 μg/L,线性拟合良好(线性相关系数r²≥0.9949),检出限为0.2~0.5 μg/L,满足于我国和其他国家限定标准的检测。将该方法应用于实际样品,在苹果皮中未检测到有机磷农药,对其进行加标,回收率为70.5%~93.6%,相对标准偏差≤10.4%。

Template-directed synthesis of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 derived Zn-Al layered double oxides decorated on the electrochemically anodized nanoporous aluminum substrate for thin film microextraction of chlorophenols followed by determination with high-performance liquid chromatography

In this work, hierarchical ZIF-8 coated anodized aluminum foil was prepared through in situ template-directed method without addition of any zinc salt. The hierarchical sorbent was synthesized by the formation of the final HZIF-8 on the previously created layered double oxide (LDO) template. The LDO template was created by calcining the firstly in situ prepared desired layered double hydroxide (LDH) precursor coated on the electrochemically anodized porous Al foil in an air atmosphere. The microextraction ability of the extracting device was studied through direct immersion thin film microextraction (DI-TFME). The extracted analytes were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped by UV detector (HPLC-UV). The present strategy was used for the simultaneous extraction and quantification of four selected chlorophenols (CPs) (as model analyte). The variables of the TFME were optimized using response surface methodology (Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken design). Under the obtained optimum condition, the prepared film presented acceptable extraction properties including low limits of detection (0.03-0.22 µgL^-1), good linear ranges (0.2-200 µgL^-1, r² > 0.9918) and satisfactory reproducibility (relative standard deviation, 3.6 < RSD < 5.8% for one film as inter- and intra-day RSD, 4.8 < RSD < 5.3% for film to film). Moreover, the obtained enrichment factors were in the range of 56-76. The kinetics and adsorption isotherm of the selected analytes adsorption to the prepared sorbent were also investigated. The maximum adsorption capacities of the selected analytes on the prepared sorbent were in the range of 26.4-80.1 mg g^-1. The adsorption isotherm obeyed the Langmuir and Freundlich models. Moreover, the adsorption of the selected chlorophenols on the prepared film followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Finally, the HZIF-8 film was utilized for the quantification of selected CPs in different types of water and wastewater samples. The results showed satisfactory relative recoveries (93-102%) and acceptable precisions (3.6 < RSD < 9.2%).

[Recent advance of new sample preparation materials in the analysis and detection of environmental pollutants]

To successfully analyze complex samples and detect trace targets, sample pretreatment is essential. Efficient sample pretreatment techniques can remove or reduce interference from the sample matrix. It can also enrich analytes, thereby improving analytical accuracy and sensitivity. In recent years, various sample preparation techniques, including SPE, magnetic dispersion SPE, pipette tip SPE, stir bar extraction, fiber SPME, and in-tube SPME, have received increasing attention in environmental analysis and monitoring. The extraction efficiency mainly depends on the type of adsorbent material. Therefore, the development of efficient adsorbents is a crucial step toward sample preparation. This review summarizes and discusses the research advances in extraction materials over recent years. These extraction materials contain inorganic adsorbents, organic adsorbents, and inorganic-organic hybrid materials such as graphene, graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, inorganic aerogels, organic aerogels, triazinyl-functionalized materials, triazine-based polymers, molecularly imprinted polymers, covalent organic frameworks, metal-organic frameworks, and their derivatives. These materials have been applied to extract different types of pollutants, including metal ions, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, plasticizers, alkanes, phenols, chlorophenols, chlorobenzenes, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, perfluorosulfonic acids, perfluorocarboxylic acids, estrogens, drug residues, and pesticide residues, from environmental samples (such as water and soil samples). These sample preparation materials possess high surface areas, numerous adsorption sites, and allow extraction via various mechanisms, such as π-π, electrostatic, hydrophobic, and hydrophilic interactions, as well as hydrogen and halogen bond formation. Various sample pretreatment techniques based on these extraction materials have been combined with various detection methods, including chromatography, mass spectrometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and ion mobility spectroscopy, and have been extensively used for the determination of environmental pollutants. The existing challenges associated with the development of sample preparation techniques are proposed, and prospects for such extraction materials in environmental analysis and monitoring are discussed. Major trends in the field, including the development of efficient extraction materials with high enrichment ability, good selectivity, excellent thermal stability, and chemical stability, are discussed. Green sample pretreatment materials, environmentally friendly synthesis methods, and green sample pretreatment methods are also explored. Rapid sample pretreatment methods that can be conducted within minutes or seconds are of significant interest. Further, online sample pretreatment and automatic analysis methods have attracted increasing attention. Besides, real-time analysis and in situ detection have been important development directions, and are expected to be widely applicable in environmental analysis, biological detection, and other fields. Modern synthesis technology should be introduced to synthesize specific extraction materials. Controllable preparation methods for extraction materials, such as the in situ growth or in situ preparation of extraction coatings, will acquire importance in coming years. It will also be important to adopt high-performance materials from other fields for sample pretreatment. Organic-inorganic hybrid extraction materials can combine the advantages both organic materials and inorganic materials, and mutually compensate for any disadvantages. Extraction materials doped with nanomaterials are also promising. Although existing sample pretreatment techniques are relatively efficient, it is still imperative to develop novel sample preparation methods.

Cucurbit[7]uril as a matrix solid-phase dispersion for the extraction of quaternary ammonium pesticides from vegetables and their determination using HPLC-UV

Cucurbit[7]uril (Q[7]) was first used as a dispersant sorbent material in a matrix solid-phase dispersion for the simultaneous extraction of four quaternary ammonium pesticides from vegetables before analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. Q[7] exhibited a better selectivity and adsorption capability for these compounds, which is due to its ability to bind selectively organic molecules into its hydrophobic cavity and to form stable host-guest inclusion complexes. Various parameters affecting the extraction were investigated and optimized, such as sorbent/sample mass ratio, grinding time, rinsing and eluting conditions. Under optimized conditions, the proposed method exhibited a linear response in the concentration range of 1-100 μg·kg^-1, satisfactory recoveries for eight types of vegetable samples (>70%), and high repeatability (RSD < 9.0%). The limits of quantification were between 0.43 μg·kg^-1 and 0.99 μg·kg^-1, which is nearly 50 times lower than the maximum residue limits established by the European Council.

In-syringe extraction using compressible and self-recoverable, amphiphilic graphene aerogel as sorbent for determination of phenols

Graphene aerogels (GAs) have demonstrated great promise as sorbent materials. However, the intrinsically hydrophobic GAs are unsuitable for extraction of highly water-soluble analytes. Moreover, lack of compressibility limits the recyclability of GAs. In this work, an interesting type of water-induced self-recoverable amphiphilic GA was synthesized and employed as sorbent to extract nine priority phenols, listed as priority pollutants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, from aqueous samples. The water-induced self-recoverability gives the GA the characteristic of a sponge, providing high recyclability and long-life. The aerogel was placed in a 2-mL microsyringe for in-syringe extraction of the phenols. The GA exhibits amphiphilicity due to the cross-linking by polyvinyl alcohol. At the same time, it exhibited selectivity to the water-soluble phenols. The extracted phenols were eluted with acetonitrile from the GA and the final extract was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). The results showed that this method provided low limits of detection for the phenols (0.089-0.015 µg/L), good linearity (r² ≥ 0.9956) and low relative standard deviations (≤6.8%). The optimized method was applied successfully to river water samples. The simple in-syringe extraction procedure in combination with HPLC-UV analysis was demonstrated to be efficient, fast and convenient.