Gelatin/sodium triphosphate hydrogel electrospun nanofiber mat as a novel nanosorbent for microextraction in packed syringe of La3+ and Tb3+ ions prior to their determination by ICP-OES

Abstract

In the present study, the novel gelatin/sodium triphosphate hydrogel nanofiber mat (GT/STP HNFM) was fabricated using the electrospinning strategy. Owing to the formation of ionic complex between STP and GT, the water stability of synthesized nanofiber increased, thereafter, the synthesized water-insoluble nanofiber was applied as a novel nanosorbent in microextraction in packed syringe (MEPS) method, using for the preconcentration of La3+ and Tb3+ in environmental and industrial water samples to the detection of them by an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The characterization of nanosorbent was performed and the effect of main parameters on adsorption performance were investigated. Under the optimum condition, the method showed a good linearity ranging from 1 to 500 ng mL−1 with a correlation coefficient superior to 0.998. Additionally, the low detection limits (0.1–0.2 ng mL−1) revealed good sensitivity of the proposed method. Finally, the MESP-ICP-OES method was applied for the determination of La3+ and Tb3+ in environmental and industrial water samples with relative recoveries (RRs) ranging from 85 to 102% and relative standard deviations (RSDs) lower than 2.7%. The outcome of this study revealed an effective method for the extraction and recovery of La3+ and Tb3+ from aqueous solutions using a non-toxic, inexpensive, and efficient nanosorbent.