Determination of phthalates in water samples using polyaniline-based solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Phthalates are common environmental contaminants.
• Accurate detection of trace phthalates in water is crucial for environmental monitoring.
• Existing methods may require improvement in sensitivity and efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple and effective solid-phase microextraction (SPME) device for detecting trace phthalates in environmental water samples.
• To utilize electrochemically deposited polyaniline (PANI) as a stable and high-capacity sorbent material.
• To optimize and validate the PANI-SPME-GC method for phthalate analysis.

Main Methods:

• Development of a PANI-based SPME device electrochemically deposited on stainless steel.
• Optimization of key extraction parameters.
• Analysis of five target phthalates using gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID).
• Characterization of PANI film using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and investigation of extraction mechanism using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).
• Application to real lake and river water samples, with comparison to commercial polyacrylate (PA) fiber.

Main Results:

• The PANI-SPME device exhibited a porous structure suitable for high extraction capability.
• The developed PANI-SPME-GC method demonstrated high accuracy, precision, and sensitivity.
• Low detection limits were achieved for the analyzed phthalates.
• Effective application to real environmental water samples was confirmed.

Conclusions:

• The novel PANI-SPME-GC method provides a reliable and sensitive approach for monitoring trace phthalates in water.
• Polyaniline is a promising sorbent material for SPME applications in environmental analysis.
• This method offers a valuable tool for assessing water quality and environmental contamination by phthalates.