Fundamentals and applications of needle trap devices: a critical review

The needle trap device (NTD) is an extraction trap that contains a sorbent inside a small needle, through which fluid can be actively drawn into and out of by a gas-tight syringe or pump, or analytes can be introduced passively to the trap by diffusion. The needle trap (NT) is a potentially solventless sampling technique/sample preparation and introduction device. Both fluid-borne analytes and particles can be trapped inside the needle and then adsorbed analytes are desorbed in an inlet of analytical instrument and introduced for identification and quantification. The fluid may be either gaseous or liquid. The objectives of this critical review are to summarize the theory of the sampling process for both active and passive time-average extraction modes in addition to outlining the evolution of the technology and main applications.