Microextraction with phases containing nanoparticles

In this article, the state of the art of microextraction techniques that involve nanoparticles or nanomaterials (NPs) is reviewed, with special emphasis on the applications described in the biomedical field. The uses and advantages of the different types of NPs such as carbon nanotubes (either single- and multi-walled) and other carbon-based materials, metallic NPs, including gold, silver and magnetic NPs, and silica NPs are summarized. The main strategies used to modify the selectivity, extractive capacity and/or the stability of NPs through a chemical reaction are also reviewed. The potential advantages of NPs in different forms of off-line and on-line microextraction are discussed, and illustrative examples of application in the biomedical field are shown.