Applications of Graphene-Based Materials in Solid-Phase Extraction and Solid-Phase Microextraction

Graphene, a carbon nanomaterial made of a two-dimensional layer of a single atome thick with 100% sp(2) hybridization C, has exhibited excellent adsorption capacity for sample preparation in analytical science. This review will provide an overview of the applications of graphene-based materials in sample preparation based on pi-pi interaction between the graphene layers and aromatic containing analytes. In the field of sample preparation, solid-phase extraction (SPE) is performed passing the sample solution onto a graphene containing cartridge for selective retention of analytes. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is performed using small graphene-coated fibers plunged into the liquid sample to extract analytes later desorbed by heat in a gas chromatography injector. In this review, recent applications of graphene and its composites for SPE and SPME are summarized, and future applications of graphene and graphene-based materials are discussed.