Cyclodextrins as a Key Piece in Nanostructured Materials: Quantitation and Remediation of Pollutants

Separation and pre-concentration of trace pollutants from their matrix by reversible formation of inclusion complexes has turned into a widely studied field, especially for the benefits provided to different areas. Cyclodextrins are non-toxic oligosaccharides that are well known for their host-guest chemistry, low prices, and negligible environmental impact. Therefore, they have been widely used as chiral selectors and delivery systems in the pharmaceutical and food industry over time. However, their use for extraction purposes is hampered by their high solubility in water. This difficulty is being overcome with a variety of investigations in materials science. The setting-up of novel solid sorbents with improved properties thanks to the presence of cyclodextrins at their structure is still an open research area. Some properties they can offer, such as an increased selectivity or a good distribution along the surface of a solid support, which provides better accessibility for guest molecules, are characteristics of great interest. This systematic review reports the most significant uses of cyclodextrins for the adsorption of pollutants in different-origin samples based on the works reported in the literature in the last years. The study has been carried out indistinctly for quantitation and remediation purposes.

Automated summary

Cyclodextrins, known for their host-guest chemistry and low environmental impact, are widely used in pharmaceutical and food industries. However, their high solubility in water hampers their use for extraction purposes, which is being addressed through materials science research. Novel solid sorbents with cyclodextrins show promise for improved properties in pollutant adsorption. This systematic review highlights significant uses of cyclodextrins in adsorbing pollutants for both quantitation and remediation.