Trace analysis of Pt (IV) metal ions in roadside soil and water samples by Fe3O4/graphene/polypyrrole nanocomposite as a solid-phase extraction sorbent followed by atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract

A novel Fe3O4/graphene/polypyrrole nanocomposite has been successfully synthesised via a simple chemical method and applied as a new magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) sorbent for the separation and pre-concentration of trace amounts of Pt (IV) in environmental samples followed by flame atomic absorption spectrometric (FAAS) detection. The nanocomposite has been characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Seven important parameters, affecting the extraction efficiency of Pt (IV), including pH, adsorption time, desorption solvent type and concentration, desorption time, elution volume and sample volume, were investigated. Under the optimised conditions, the calibration graph was linear in the range of 50–1500 μg L−1 (R = 0.993). The detection limit and pre-concentration factor (PF) for Pt (IV) were found to be 16 μg L−1 and 112.5, respectively. Under the optimised solid-phase extraction (SPE) conditions, the adsorption isotherm and the adsorption capacity of the nanocomposite for Pt (IV) were studied. Pt (IV) adsorption equilibrium data were fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity of the magnetic sorbent was calculated from the Langmuir isotherm model as 416.7 mg g−1. The precision of the method was studied as intraday and interday variations. A relative standard deviation percentage (RSD%) value less than 3.0 indicates that the method is precise. Also, the accuracy of the method was tested by the analysis of the standard reference material (NIST SRM 2556) and by recovery measurements on spiked real samples. It was also shown that the optimised method was suitable for the analysis of trace amounts of Pt (IV) in roadside soil, tap water and wastewater samples.