Rapid on‐site detection of persistent organic pollutants using multi‐walled carbon nanotube‐modified paper spray ionization and a miniature mass spectrometer

RATIONALE

Rapid on-site detection of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is highly desirable for environmental protection.

METHODS

Herein, a rapid on-site analytical workflow was developed for the investigation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) using multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-modified paper spray ionization (PSI) coupled with a miniature ion trap mass spectrometer. Critical parameters regarding PSI and miniature mass spectrometry analysis were optimized.

RESULTS

The analytical performance of the developed method was evaluated under optimized conditions, obtaining a short analysis duration of less than 1 min, sufficient linearity with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99, acceptable recovery rates of 93.1–105.8% with relative standard deviations of between 3.5–10.3%, and reasonable sensitivity with limits of detection and quantitation of 2–200 μg/L and 5–500 μg/L, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Considering these aspects, the present approach demonstrated a promising solution for rapid on-site detection of emerging POPs.