Metal–organic framework MIL-53(Al) as a solid-phase microextraction adsorbent for the determination of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water samples by gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

In this paper, the potential applications of metal–organic framework (MOF) materials as fiber coatings for the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water samples were explored. Fibers coated with MIL-53(Al, Cr, Fe) materials were fabricated by an adhesive method for SPME. The quantitation was performed by gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) using the multiple reaction monitoring mode. Among the three MIL-53(M) coatings, MIL-53(Al) showed the highest extraction efficiency towards PAHs under the current fabrication procedure. Under optimized conditions, the MIL-53(Al)-coated fiber showed good precision (relative standard deviation <12.5%), low detection limits (0.10 ng L−1 to 0.73 ng L−1, S/N = 3), and good linearity (R2 > 0.98) for aqueous solutions containing 16 PAH . The fiber also offered high thermal and chemical stability. The method developed based on MIL-53(Al) SPME–GC–MS/MS was successfully applied in the analysis of real water samples. Based on the simulation results, the PAHs were adsorbed on MIL-53(Al) primarily through the hydrophobic and π–π interactions between PAHs and the organic linker of the material. The results presented in this paper indicate that water-stable MOF materials have great potential for the SPME of aromatic compounds in water samples.