Electrospun nylon 6,6 nanofibers functionalized with β-cyclodextrin as solid phase extraction sorbent for determination of parabens

Abstract

In this study, electrospun nanofibers of nylon 6,6 functionalized with β-cyclodextrin (nylon 6,6/β-CD) were fabricated and applied as a sorbent in solid-phase extraction (SPE) for determination of parabens in water. The electrospinning parameters such as polymer concentration, nylon 6,6/β-CD ratio, and electric field strength were investigated in order to obtain uniform nanofibers. The morphology and physical properties of obtained fibers were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and BET surface area analysis. The electrospun nylon 6,6/β-CD nanofibers were achieved with diameter in the range of 120 - 150 nm. The additional of β-CD slightly increased the fiber diameter but decreased the surface area. Then, the nylon 6,6/β-CD nanofibers were examined as a sorbent in solid-phase extraction of parabens in water. The optimal condition is 10.0±0.5 mg of nanofibers as a sorbent, 15 mL of sample volume, and 200 µL of methanol for elution solvent. Under the optimal conditions, the linear range of parabens analysis was in the range from 25-200 µg.L-1 with a detection limit of 10 µg.L-1 and a limit of quantitation of 25 µg.L-1. The results of the validation method had a correlation coefficient greater than 0.9997, with %recovery of 40.6%, 41.5%, 81.4%, and 61.3% for iso-butyl paraben, n-butyl paraben, benzyl paraben, and pentyl paraben, respectively. Finally, the developed method is used for the determination of parabens in the drinking water sample.