ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Electrospun nanofibers functionalized with metal–organic frameworks/graphene oxide for enrichment of trace-level pesticide residues in food samples

Farnaz Pahang, Shima Amini, Homeira Ebrahimzadeh, and Saeed Hejabri Kandeh

Department of Analytical Chemistry and Pollutants, Faculty of Chemistry and Petroleum Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

E-mail: h-ebrahim@sbu.ac.ir

Received: 30 March 2024  Accepted: 18 July 2024

Abstract:

Pesticide residues determination has become an increasingly serious issue due to their detrimental effects on environmental and human health. Therefore, developing sensitive and rapid methods for monitoring pesticides in water and food samples is important. Herein, pipette-tip micro-solid-phase extraction (PT-µSPE) based on electrospun poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/citric acid (CA)/Mg-MOF@ graphene oxide (GO) was developed for extraction of atrazine and malathion prior to corona discharge ion mobility spectrometer (CD-IMS). The sorbent type and its amount, sample volume, adsorption and desorption cycles, sample pH, solvent type and its volume were opted. According to the analytical investigation, the composite nanofibers demonstrated high surface area, porous structure, and remarkable extraction efficiency. Additionally, the incorporation of GO into MOFs improved both Mg-MOF and GO extraction properties, resulting in more analyte adsorption. Under opted conditions, the relative standard deviation values (RSDs %) below 6.9% with spiked-sample recoveries of 79.2–95.9% were achieved for both pesticides. Quantification was accomplished by matrix-matched calibration plots, which showed good linearity ranging between 8.0 and 1300.0 ng mL⁻¹ for atrazine and 10.0–1500.0 ng mL⁻¹ for malathion (R² > 0.99), with limits of detection (LODs) of 2.5 and 3.5 ng mL⁻¹, respectively. Eventuality, the capability of the procedure was examined successfully by monitoring the selected analytes in orange, apple, and tomato juices. The most founded pesticide residues were below the maximum residue limits (MRL = 8.0 mg L⁻¹) for food samples.

Keywords: Environmental Chemistry; Polymers; Electrospun nanofibers; Metal organic frame work; Graphene oxide; Composite nanofibers; Micro solid-phase extraction; Food analysis

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-024-03615-y

Chemical Papers 78 (13) 7559–7572 (2024)