Carboxylation modified meso-porous carbon aerogel templated by ionic liquid for solid-phase microextraction of trace tetracyclines residues using HPLC with UV detection

A carbon aerogel composite templated and catalyzed by ionic liquid was fabricated to obtain a meso-porous and cross-linked structure while avoiding the freeze and supercritical drying. It was then carboxylated to obtain favorable surface groups. The easily prepared material displayed excellent extraction effect of six tetracyclines (TCs) compared to the non-carboxylated carbon aerogel. A direct immersion solid-phase microextraction method to determine six TCs in aqueous samples was developed coupling with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV-Vis detector set at 355 nm. The experimental parameters affecting the analytical performance of this method, including sample pH, ionic strength, extraction and desorption time, extraction volume, and temperature, were optimized. Adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics models were used to clarify the extraction mechanism. Under the optimized conditions, this method has a wide linear range of 2-1000 mu g L-1, low limits of detection of 0.36-0.71 mu g L-1, repeatability of 1.85-10.96%, and reproducibility of 4.92-13.47% for six TCs. The method was successfully applied to detect TC residues in egg and poultry farm wastewater samples.Graphical abstract

Automated summary

A carbon aerogel composite templated and catalyzed by ionic liquid was fabricated for efficient extraction of six tetracyclines. An optimized direct immersion solid-phase microextraction method coupled with HPLC was developed to detect tetracyclines in water samples, showing wide linear range and low limits of detection. The study provided insights into the extraction mechanism and successfully applied the method to detect tetracycline residues in egg and poultry farm wastewater samples.