Carbon nanostructures as sorbent materials in analytical processes

Over time, new materials have been used and incorporated in a wide variety of analytical processes. This century, technology has produced novel nanomaterials with unique properties whose use has increased in analytical sciences. Carbon nanostructures are among these new nanomaterials. This overview reports on the use of carbon nanomaterials, mainly fullerenes and carbon nanotubes, as sorbents in the analytical process. After a brief description of their main characteristics, we present their use in the development of selective membranes. Next, we describe their role as sorbent materials and stationary phases in chromatography and provide relevant examples. We also comment on the presence of carbon nanoparticles as components of electrophoretic buffers to improve both resolution and sensitivity of separations. Finally, we briefly describe other applications in which the sorption capabilities of carbon nanostructures play a role. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.