Rapid on-site detection of persistent organic pollutants using multiwalled carbon nanotube-modified paper spray ionization and a miniature mass spectrometer

Rationale: Rapid on-site detection of persistent organic pollutants (POP) is highly desirable for environmental protection.

Methods: Herein, a rapid on-site analytical workflow was developed for the investigation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and perfluorinated compounds using multiwalled carbon nanotube–modified paper spray ionization (PSI) coupled with a miniature ion trap mass spectrometer. Critical parameters regarding PSI and miniature mass spectrometry analysis were optimized.

Results: The analytical performance of the developed method was evaluated under optimized conditions, obtaining a short analysis duration of less than 1 min, sufficient linearity with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99, acceptable recovery rates of 93.1%–105.8% with relative standard deviations of between 3.5% and 10.3%, and reasonable sensitivity with limits of detection and quantitation of 2–200 and 5–500 μg/L, respectively.

Conclusions: Considering these aspects, it was concluded that the present approach demonstrated a promising solution for rapid on-site detection of emerging POPs.

The present research developed a rapid and simple analytical protocol for detecting PAHs and PFCs using PSI with MWCNT-coated paper substrates. The incorporation of MWCNTs improved the sensitivity of the method for detecting nonpolar POPs. Instrumental analysis was conducted with a miniature mass spectrometer, creating the potential for outside-the-laboratory applications.