Boronate affinity solid-phase extraction of cis-diol compounds by a one-step electrochemically synthesized selective polymer sorbent

A rational-designed conductive sorbent, poly(thiophene-3-boronic acid) electrochemically deposited on a carbon fiber bundle, was applied for boronate affinity extraction. The coated carbon fiber bundle packed into a poly(ether ether ketone) tube was then successfully used for online solid-phase microextraction-high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of cis-diol compounds. Three kinds of catecholamines (namely, adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine) were used as the test analytes. Good extraction efficiency (more than 600-fold), low limits of detection (0.2 ng center dot mL(-1) for adrenaline, 0.1 ng center dot mL(-1) for noradrenaline and dopamine), and wide linear ranges were obtained. The method was demonstrated to be efficient for analysis of catecholamines in spiked plasma samples, with good recoveries in the range of 92.5-95.71%. This work exhibited several significant advantages, including ease of use, high specificity, and high extraction efficiency. It has been demonstrated that such an electrochemically synthesized sorbent has great potential for research involving cis-diol compounds.