Fabrication of a novel Ti–TiO2–ZrO2 fiber for solid-phase microextraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography for sensitive determination of UV filters in environmental water samples

Abstract

A novel Ti–TiO₂–ZrO₂ fiber for solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was fabricated by chemical oxidization of a Ti wire substrate and subsequent electrodeposition of ZrO₂ nanoparticle coating. The chemically oxidized procedure afforded in situ fabrication of porous TiO₂ nanostructures on a Ti wire and provided a desirable substrate for further deposition of ZrO₂ nanoparticle coating. The best extraction capability was obtained by ZrO₂ nanoparticles with a size distribution of 20–30 nm and a coating thickness of about 4.5 μm after 10 cyclic voltammetry scans. The main parameters affecting the Ti–TiO₂–ZrO₂ fiber for SPME of ultraviolet (UV) filters were investigated coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. A good linearity was achieved in the range of 0.5–500 μg L⁻¹ with correlation coefficients higher than 0.996. Limits of detection were 0.032–0.082 μg L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The single fiber repeatability ranged from 4.3% to 12% and the fiber-to-fiber reproducibility ranged from 4.3% to 11% for SPME of spiked water with 50 μg L⁻¹ UV filters (n = 5). Furthermore this fiber has high stability, long service time and high extraction capability for UV filters compared to the commercially available polymeric fibers.