In-situ preparation of β-cyclodextrin-crosslinked polymer coated glass fiber for in-tube solid-phase microextraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from water samples

Governments and organizations are paying increasing attention to the monitoring of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the environment. In this study, a beta-cyclodextrin-based hyper-crosslinked polymer (beta-CD-HCP) was prepared via the Friedel-Crafts reaction and used as a coating for an in-tube solid-phase micro extraction (IT-SPME) glass fiber based on an in-situ preparation method. Subsequently, it was used for the analysis of six PAHs in water samples. The beta-CD-HCP showed an excellent adsorption performance for the PAHs owing to its unique structural characteristics and multiple bonding forces (hydrophobic interaction, pi-pi, and electrostatic interactions) between the beta-CD-HCP and PAHs. The adsorption mechanism of the beta-CD to PAHs was investigated using density functional theory calculation experiments. By coupling high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode array detector, an online analysis method was established for the PAHs with a wide linear range (0.01-20 mu g L-1), high enrichment factor (2130-2670), and low limits of detection (0.004-0.008 mu g L-1). The PAHs in the water samples were successfully analyzed using this proposed online method with satisfactory recoveries in the range of 79.9-106.7% and relative standard deviations under 4.0%. The above results demonstrate that the prepared beta-CD-HCP-based IT-SPME glass fiber has good application prospects for the pretreatment of PAHs in various aqueous environmental samples.