Preparation of a Robust and Sensitive Gold-Coated Fiber for Solid-Phase Microextraction of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Environmental Waters

Abstract

A robust gold-coated solid-phase microextraction fiber was rapidly prepared on an etched stainless-steel wire based on chemical deposition. Gold(III) was reduced to produce a mechanically robust fiber with a stable coating. Subsequently, it was applied for solid-phase microextraction of five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples coupled to high performance liquid chromatography with an ultraviolet-visible detector. The preconcentration conditions were optimized, including extraction and desorption time, temperature, stirring rate, and ionic strength. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration graphs were linear in the range from 1 to 500 µg · L−1 for naphthalene and 0.20–500 µg · L−1 for phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, and pyrene. Limits of detection were between 0.016 and 0.22 µg · L−1 (signal-to-noise ratio = 3). The analysis of water samples showed that the recoveries ranged from 86.0% to 112.9% with relative standard deviations between 2.03% and 11.7%. The fiber coating was sensitive and suitable for the preconcentration and determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in environmental waters. Compared with previously reported solid-phase microextraction methods, this device offered easy preparation, low cost, resistance to organic solvents, good stability, and high durability.