Application of graphene in analytical sample preparation

As a new member of the carbon family, graphene has fascinated the scientific community since its discovery. Recently, graphene also exhibited great potential to be an adsorbent in analytical sample preparation due to its exceptional properties (e.g., large surface area, pi-electron-rich structure, and good thermal and chemical stability). In this article, we review the recent applications of graphene and graphene-based materials in solid-phase extraction and solid-phase microextraction, and other sample-preparation techniques. We also cover the use of graphene as extractor and matrix in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. Finally, we discuss possible challenges and future perspectives in this rapidly developing field. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.