Ionic liquid-derived nano-fibrillated mesoporous carbon based on solid-phase microextraction fiber for the analysis of volatile organic compounds from aqueous solutions

A novel nano-fibrillated mesoporous carbon (IFMC) solid phase microextraction (SPME) fiber was successfully prepared via the carbonization of the ionic liquid in the presence of SBA-15 as a structure-transducing agent. It was found that our new SPME fiber is an excellent adsorbent for the extraction of some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from aqueous samples in combination with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Important extraction conditions (extraction temperature, ionic strength, stirring rate, pH and extraction time) and desorption conditions (desorption temperature and time) were systematically investigated and optimized. The developed method offers the advantages of being simple to use, with shorter analysis times, lower cost of equipment, thermal stability of fiber and high relative recovery in comparison to the conventional methods of analysis.