Titanium-dioxide nanotubes as sorbents in (micro)extraction techniques

Titanium-dioxide nanotubes (TDNTs) are elongated nanomaterials with a large specific surface area and notable features, such as inertness, chemical and thermal stability. This overview focuses on the use of TDNTs as sorbents in sample preparation. After a brief introduction to their properties and structure, we describe the main routes of synthesis for the laboratory production of TDNTs. These routes, which comprise electrochemical, chemical-template and hydrothermal approaches, mark the ultimate application of this nanomaterial. Finally, we present the usefulness of TDNTs in solid-phase extraction (SPE), micro-SPE and solid-phase microextraction contexts on the basis of the published literature. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.