Evaluation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes for miniaturized extraction of drugs and their degradation products present in water

• Grant number: 13/06233-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2013
• End date: January 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Alvaro José dos Santos Neto
• Grantee: Daiane Cristina Marqui
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Carbon nanotubes are classified as single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, according to the quantity of graphene sheets. Studies show that carbon nanotubes exhibit great surface area which makes them good sorbents, with high adsorption capacity. Once carbon nanotubes are non porous sorbent, desorption occurs quickly. Due to these characteristics, carbon nanotubes have been demonstrating a high potential to be used as sorbent in microdevices. Miniature liquid chromatography uses capillary columns that have inner diameter smaller than conventional columns, reducing solvent and sample consumption, in addition to improving its performance. Here we intend to evaluate the efficiency of multi-walled carbon nanotubes as sorbent for the extraction of drugs and their degradation products present in water using microextraction by packed syringe as well as online column switching capillary liquid chromatography. (AU)