C12-Ag wire as solid-phase microextraction fiber for determination of benzophenone ultraviolet filters in river water

• Self-assembly and sol–gel technology were involved to generate C12 on the Ag wire.
• The C12-modified Ag wire was used as the SPME fiber.
• Three benzophenone UV filters were extracted from river water with good performance.
• It afforded a novel method for metal fiber derivatization.

In the present study, a novel approach for fabrication of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber based on silver wire was proposed. 3-(Mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTS) was self-assembled on the silver wire by the special interaction between Ag and S, producing MPTS-Ag wire. The MPTS-Ag wire was then functionalized with dodecyltrimethoxysilane via sol–gel approach, giving C12-Ag wire. The preparation conditions were systematically optimized. The prepared fiber was then used as the SPME fiber to extract three benzophenone UV filters from the river water. The developed method showed good linearity between 0.005 and 0.200 μg mL−1 with regression determination coefficients in the range of 0.9929–0.9988 and detection limits ranging from 0.58 to 1.86 ng mL−1. The C12-Ag fiber exhibited good stability and long lifetime, and could be an alternative to the traditional fused silica fiber.