Recent applications of carbon nanotube sorbents in analytical chemistry

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are still awakening scientists' interest because of their inherent properties as well as their applications in a wide variety of fields. Regarding Analytical Chemistry, and although they have also been used as stationary phases in chromatography or pseudostationary phases in capillary electrophoresis, they have also found a particular place in sorbent-based extraction techniques. In fact, they are currently used as sorbents in solid-phase extraction, solid-phase microextraction, stir-bar sorptive extraction and matrix solid-phase dispersion, for analyte enrichment or storage, sample fractionation or clean-up as well as support for derivatization reactions. CNT surface is tuneable and, as a result, they can be suitably functionalized, aggregated or linked to other supports which increase their potential use as sorbents. They can also be arranged under different formats (cartridges, fibers, stir bars, disks, etc.) or even combined with magnetic nanoparticles, which clearly enlarge their applications. This review article overviews the most recent applications of CNTs as sorbent materials, covering the period from 2010 to early 2014.