Qiong-Wei Yu

Fast microextraction of phthalate acid esters from beverage, environmental water and perfume samples by magnetic multi-walled carbon nanotubes

In this work, magnetic carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were prepared by mixing the magnetic particles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes dispersed solutions. Due to their excellent adsorption capability towards hydrophobic compounds, the magnetic CNTs were used as adsorbent of magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) to extract phthalate acid esters (PAEs), which are widely used in many consumable products with potential carcinogenic properties. By coupling MSPE with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), a rapid, sensitive and cost-effective method for the analysis of PAEs was established. Our results showed that the limits of detection (LODs) of 16 PAEs ranged from 4.9 to 38 ng L(-1), which are much lower compared to the previously reported methods. And good linearities of the detection method were obtained with correlation coefficients (R(2)) between 0.9821 and 0.9993. In addition, a satisfying reproducibility was achieved by evaluating the intra- and inter-day precisions with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 11.7% and 14.6%, respectively. Finally, the established MSPE-GC/MS method was successfully applied to the determination of PAEs from bottled beverages, tap water and perfume samples. The recoveries of the 16 PAEs from the real samples ranged from 64.6% to 125.6% with the RSDs less than 16.5%. Taken together, the MSPE-GC/MS method developed in current study provides a new option for the detection of PAEs from real samples with complex matrices.

A new device for magnetic stirring-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction of UV filters in environmental water samples

A new method based on dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) in combination with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed for the analysis of UV filters. A specially designed flask, which has two narrow open necks with one of them having a capillary tip, was employed to facilitate the DLLME process. By adopting such a device, the extraction and subsequent phase separation were conveniently achieved. A binary solvent system of water sample and low-density extraction solvent (1-octanol) was used for the DLLME and no disperser solvent was involved. The extraction was accelerated by magnetic agitation of the two phases. After extraction, phase separation of the extraction solvent from the aqueous sample was easily achieved by leaving the extraction system statically for a while. No centrifugation step involving in classical DLLME was necessary. The analyte-enriched phase, floating above the sample solution, was elevated and concentrated into the narrow open tip of the flask by adding pure water into it via the other port, which was withdrawn with a microsyringe for the subsequent HPLC analysis. Under the optimized conditions, the limits of detection for the analytes were in range of 0.2-0.8ngmL(-1) .The linearity ranges were 8-20,000 ng mL(-1) for HB, 7-20,000 ng mL(-1) for DB, 8-10,000 ng mL(-1) for BP and 5-20,000 ng mL(-1) for HMB, respectively. Enrichment factors ranging from 59 to 107 folders were obtained for the analytes. The relative standard deviations (n=3) at a spiked level of 80 ng mL(-1) were between 1.4 and 4.8%. The proposed magnetic stirring-assisted DLLME method was successfully applied to the analysis of lake water samples.

Substrateless graphene fiber: A sorbent for solid-phase microextraction

In current study, a substrateless graphene fiber was successfully prepared by a simple hydrothermal strategy and used as solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sorbent. Five organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were employed as model analytes to evaluate the performance of as-prepared graphene fiber. The results showed that the graphene fiber exhibited higher extraction efficiencies, higher thermal stability (up to 310°C), better reproducibility, and longer service life (more than 180 times reuse) than commercial fibers. In addition, the method for the determination of OCPs was proposed by coupling headspace (HS)-SPME technique with gas chromatography/electron capture detector (HS-SPME-GC/ECD). The proposed HS-SPME-GC/ECD method showed low limits of detection (0.83-11.5 ng/L), wide linear dynamic ranges (more than 2 orders of magnitude), and acceptable reproducibility (RSD<10.9%). Finally, the proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of OCPs in environmental water samples with good recoveries (81-121%) and satisfactory precisions (RSD<9%).

Facile synthesis of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers and its application in magnetic solid phase extraction for fluoroquinolones in milk samples

In this work, we proposed a simple co-mixing method to fabricate magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (magnetic MIPs). MIPs were commercial products while magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were prepared by chemical oxidation and solvothermal methods. When MNPs and MIPs (with mass ratio 1:1) were co-mixed and vortexed evenly in methanol, they could assemble into magnetic composites spontaneously and thus be magnetically separable. To testify the feasibility of the magnetic composites in sample preparation, the resultant magnetic MIPs were applied as sorbents for magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) of fluoroquinolones (FQs) in milk samples. Under optimized conditions, a rapid, convenient, and efficient method for the determination of three FQs in milk samples was established by magnetic MIPs based MSPE coupling with high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV). The limits of detection (LODs) for three FQs were found to be 1.8-3.2ng/g. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 9.5% and 12.5%, respectively. The recoveries of FQs for two spiked milk samples were in the range from 94.0% to 124.4% with the RSDs less than 11.6%.

Mesostructured Nanomagnetic Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes (POSS) Incorporated with Dithiol Organic Anchors for Multiple Pollutants Capturing in Wastewater

A functionalizable organosiliceous hybrid magnetic material was facilely constructed by surface polymerization of octavinyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) on the Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The resultant Fe3O4@POSS was identified as a mesoporous architecture with an average particle diameter of 20 nm and high specific surface area up to 653.59 m(2) g(-1). After it was tethered with an organic chain containing dithiol via thiol-ene addition reaction, the ultimate material (Fe3O4@POSS-SH) still have moderate specific area (224.20 m(2) g(-1)) with almost identical porous morphology. It turns out to be a convenient, efficient single adsorbent for simultaneous elimination of inorganic heavy metal ions and organic dyes in simulate multicomponent wastewater at ambient temperature. The Fe3O4@POSS-SH nanoparticles can be readily withdrawn from aqueous solutions within a few seconds under moderate magnetic field and exhibit good stability in strong acid and alkaline aqueous matrices. Contaminants-loaded Fe3O4@POSS-SH can be easily regenerated with either methanol-acetic acid (for organic dyes) or hydrochloric acid (for heavy metal ions) under ultrasonication. The renewed one keeps appreciable adsorption capability toward both heavy metal ions and organic dyes, the removal rate for any of the pollutants exceeds 92% to simulate wastewater with multiple pollutants after repeated use for 5 cycles. Beyond the environmental remediation function, thanks to the pendant vinyl groups, the Fe3O4@POSS derived materials rationally integrating distinct or versatile functions could be envisaged and consequently a wide variety of applications may emerge.

Determination of benzimidazole residues in animal tissue samples by combination of magnetic solid-phase extraction with capillary zone electrophoresis

Benzimidazole drugs (BZDs) comprise a large number of synthetic anthelmintics, which are widely used in food-producing animals for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes. To protect consumers from the risks related to BZDs residues, a simple, rapid, and efficient method for simultaneous determination of ten BZDs in animal tissues samples was developed. This analytical procedure involved extracting samples with magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) using magnetite/silica/poly (methacrylic acid-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (Fe(3)O(4)/SiO(2)/poly (MAA-co-EGDMA)) magnetic microspheres, and determination by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). To improve the sensitivity of the method, we employed the electrokinetic injection with field-amplified sample stacking technique (FASS). Berbine solution was used as internal standard to minimize the fluctuation of analytical results. Under the optimized extraction conditions, good linearities were obtained for the ten BZDs with the correlation coefficients (R(2)) above 0.9920. The limits of detections (LODs) for ten BZDs were 1.05-10.42 ng/g in swine muscle and 1.06-12.61 ng/g in swine liver, respectively. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the developed method were less than 13.6%. The recoveries of the ten BZDs for the spiked samples ranged from 81.1% to 105.4% with RSDs less than 9.3%.

Multiresidue determination of (fluoro)quinolone antibiotics in chicken by polymer monolith microextraction and field-amplified sample stacking procedures coupled to CE-UV.

Simultaneous determination of 9 (fluoro)quinolone antibiotics (FQs) was accomplished by capillary electrophoresis-ultraviolet (CE-UV) based on poly(methacrylic acid-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (MAA-EGDMA) monolith microextraction (PMME) coupled with on-line preconcentration technique of field-amplified sample stacking (FASS). The effects of composition of the acid and organic solvent in the sample solution, sampling time, and voltage on the efficiency of the sample stacking have been systematically investigated. Several parameters that influence extraction efficiency for PMME such as pH of sample solution, extraction volume, and wash and desorption conditions were optimized. In the proposed method, a substantial increase in sensitivity for all the FQs tested was achieved by the combination of PMME procedure with on-line preconcentration of FASS prior to CE analysis. Good linearities were obtained for the 9 tested FQs with the correlation coefficients (R) above 0.9954. The limits of detection (S/N=3) were found to be 2.4-34.0 ng g(-1) and the recoveries ranged from 81.2 to 100% with relative standard deviations less than 11.3%. The proposed PMME-FASS-CE method was applied to the determination of FQs residues in chicken samples.

Dispersive microextraction based on water-coated Fe3O4 followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for determination of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol in edible oils

In the present work, we developed a novel dispersive microextraction technique by combining the advantages of liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) and magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE). In this method, trace amount of water directly absorbed on bare Fe₃O₄ to form water-coated Fe₃O₄ (W-Fe₃O₄) and rapid extraction can be achieved while W-Fe₃O₄ dispersed in the sample solution. The analyte adsorbed W-Fe₃O₄ can be easily collected and isolated from sample solution by application of a magnet. It was worth noting that in the proposed method water was used as extractant and Fe₃O₄ served as the supporter and retriever of water. The performance of the method was evaluated by extraction of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) from edible oils. The extracted 3-MCPD was then derived by a silylanization reagent (1-trimethylsilylimidazole) before gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Several parameters that affected the extraction and derivatization efficiency were investigated. Our results showed that the limit of detection for 3-MCPD was 1.1 ng/g. The recoveries in spiked oil samples were in the range of 70.0-104.9% with the RSDs less than 5.6% (intra-day) and 6.4% (inter-day). Taken together, the simple, rapid and cost-effective method developed in current study, offers a potential application for the extraction and preconcentration of hydrophilic analytes from complex fatty samples.

An anionic exchange stir rod sorptive extraction based on monolithic material for the extraction of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in environmental aqueous samples

In this study, a stir rod sorptive extraction (SRSE) adsorbent material was prepared by coating poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) [poly(VP-co-EDMA)] monolithic polymer on stir rod, and then applied to the extraction of three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in environmental aqueous samples. The preparation conditions of monolithic material such as the amount of porogen and the ratio of functional monomer to cross-linker were investigated. To achieve the best extraction efficiency, several parameters, including pH value of sample solution, salt concentration in sample matrix, desorption solvent, extraction time, and desorption time, were optimized. By combining SRSE and high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector, a SRSE-HPLC/UV method for the determination of NSAIDs in environmental aqueous samples was proposed successfully. The limits of detection (LODs) of the developed method for three NSAIDs ranged between 0.09 and 0.25 ng/mL. Good method reproducibility presented as intra- and inter-day precisions were also obtained with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 8.7% and 9.8%, respectively.

Fabrication of enrofloxacin imprinted organic-inorganic hybrid mesoporous sorbent from nanomagnetic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes for the selective extraction of fluoroquinolones in milk samples.

This paper reports a nanomagnetic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS)-directing strategy toward construction of molecularly imprinted hybrid materials for antibiotic residues determination in milk samples. The imprinted polymeric layer was facilely obtained through the copolymerization of active vinyl groups present on the nanomagnetic POSS (Fe3O4@POSS) surface and functional monomer (methacrylic acid) binding with template (enrofloxacin). Herein, the octavinyl POSS acted as not only the building blocks for hybrid rigid architectures but also the cross-linker for the formation of effective recognition sites during the imprinting process. The molecularly imprinted Fe3O4@POSS nanoparticles (Fe3O4@MI-POSS) demonstrated much higher adsorption capacity and selectivity toward enrofloxacin molecules and its analogs than the non-imprinted Fe3O4@POSS (Fe3O4@NI-POSS) materials. The imprinted particles were applied as a selective sorbent in solid-phase extraction focusing upon sample pretreatment in complex matrices prior to chromatographic analysis. The three FQs (ofloxacin, enrofloxacin, danofloxacin) could be selectively extracted from the biological matrix, while the matrix interferences were effectively eliminated simultaneously under the optimum extraction conditions. A simple, rapid and sensitive method based on the Fe3O4@MI-POSS material combined with HPLC-UV detection was then established for the simultaneous determination of three FQs from milk samples. The average recoveries of the three FQs were in the range of 75.6-108.9%. The relative standard deviations of intra- and inter-day ranging from 2.91 to 8.87% and from 3.6 to 11.5%, respectively. The limits of detections (S/N=3) were between 1.76 and 12.42 ng mL(-1). It demonstrates the effectiveness of trace analysis in complicated biological matrices utilizing magnetic separation in combination with molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction, the rich chemistry of POSS makes it possible to be an ideal platform for generating molecular imprinted hybrid materials is also exhibited.