Recent Advances in Nano Sorbent Materials for Solid-Phase Microextraction in Forensic Drug Analysis: Design,...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Forensic Science

Background:

• Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is crucial for forensic drug analysis due to its efficiency and sensitivity.
• Conventional SPME sorbents face limitations in complex matrices and require further optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically review recent advances (2018-2025) in SPME sorbent materials for forensic drug analysis.
• To evaluate the design, functionalization, and analytical performance of novel sorbent materials.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature focusing on advanced SPME sorbents: MOFs, COFs, MIPs, CNTs, HLB, and PILs.
• Analysis of reported enhancements in adsorption capacity, enrichment factors, LODs, recovery rates, and durability.
• Correlation of sorbent chemistry and fabrication with analytical performance.

Main Results:

• Advanced sorbents like COFs, MOFs, and MIPs show significantly improved performance over conventional materials.
• Enhancements include up to 2245-fold increases in enrichment factors and LODs as low as ≤ 0.25-2 ng/mL.
• High durability (50-300 cycles) and selectivity (98% protein exclusion) were observed with specific advanced sorbents.

Conclusions:

• Rational sorbent design is key to enhancing extraction efficiency, reducing matrix effects, and improving reproducibility in forensic analysis.
• Next-generation SPME materials offer a framework for reliable, high-throughput, and legally defensible forensic drug analysis.