Preparation of durable graphene-bonded titanium fibers for efficient microextraction of phthalates from aqueous matrices and analysis with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A solid-phase microextraction fiber (SPME) was synthesized for pre-concentration of 15 phthalates from aqueous samples. Graphene oxide was immobilized on Ti wire with titanol groups using a cross-linking agent and subsequently reduced to yield a folded and wrinkled graphene coating. This graphene-Ti fiber demonstrated durable mechanical robustness and enhanced stability for more than 200 extraction cycles due to the Ti substrate and chemical bond. The extraction efficiencies reached highest when the graphene layers were four and their performances were superior to commercial SPME fibers. The prepared fiber was used for pre-concentration of phthalates from aqueous samples by direct immersion extraction and thermal desorption for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The method was utilized for the simultaneous analysis of 15 phthalates with satisfactory recoveries in the range of 82.8-97.8% for bottled water and 73.3-102.0% for intravenous drips in plastic packaging.