Electrochemically modified carbon fiber bundles as selective sorbent for online solid-phase microextraction of sulfonamides

The authors show that carbon fiber bundles electrochemically modified with the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is a viable sorbent for online solid-phase microextraction (SPME) of the sulfonamides (sulfadiazine, sulfadimidine and sulfamethoxazole) prior to their determination by HPLC. The fibers were packed in a tube loop made from polyether ether ketone (PEEK) that was coupled to the HPLC system for online SPME. Preconcentration factors can reach values of up to 300, and the limit of detection (at an S/N ration of 3) can be as low as 0.05 nga <...mL(-1). The method was applied to the analysis of the sulfonamides in spiked rat plasma with intra-day and inter-day RSDs of < 3.33 and < 4.57 %, and with recoveries in the range from 91.7 to 97.8 % in spiked plasma. The in-tube SPME was also applied to the determination of the 3 sulfonamides in rat plasma after oral administration (tablet powder) with high sensitivity. In addition to its efficient extraction, the PEEK tube based SPME has chemical and mechanical stability under even harsh conditions.