High-Throughput Screening of Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Using Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled to Microfluidic...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Toxicology

Background:

• Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pose significant environmental and public health risks.
• Current large-scale monitoring methods for PFAS are often inefficient and time-consuming.
• Sensitive and rapid detection techniques are crucial for effective PFAS remediation and regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a high-throughput, automated sample preparation and analysis system for PFAS.
• To achieve sensitive detection of a wide range of PFAS in diverse sample matrices.
• To optimize the method for speed, efficiency, and broad applicability in environmental monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Development of a 48-sample high-throughput system utilizing solid-phase microextraction (SPME) blades.
• Direct coupling of SPME to mass spectrometry (MS) via an automated microfluidic open interface (MOI).
• Elimination of chromatographic separation, enabling rapid analysis (2.8 min/sample).

Main Results:

• Sensitive detection of 18 PFAS in drinking water with limits of detection (LODs) from 1 to 10 pg/mL.
• Successful PFAS screening in complex matrices including blood, beer, and beef.
• Identified and addressed issues with low recovery and reproducibility for nonpolar PFAS in water analysis.

Conclusions:

• The SPME-MOI-MS system offers a highly efficient and sensitive approach for large-scale PFAS monitoring.
• The method's versatility allows for analysis across various challenging sample types.
• Optimizations involving glass containers and acetonitrile improve the reliability of nonpolar PFAS detection.