Electrospun polystyrene nanofibers as a novel adsorbent to transfer an organic phase from an aqueous phase

The aim of this work is to develop a simple phase-transfer method for dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction. For this purpose, a polystyrene nanofiber was prepared by a facile electrospinning strategy and used for the first time as an adsorbent to transfer the organic phase in dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction procedure. The fiber was characterized and its chemical stability and excellent hydrophobicity enable it to selectively adsorb the organic solvent in an aqueous sample. High porosity and specific surface area provide a large adsorption capacity. Under the optimal conditions, the developed dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with high-performance liquid chromatography method was successfully applied to the analysis of aldehydes in environmental water samples. The merits of this approach are that it is easy-to-operate, low-cost, time-saving, and has satisfactory sensitivity. It provides an alternative way for fast and convenient phase transfer of the hydrophobic organic solvent from the aqueous phase.