Fiber-in-tube SPE

The technique was further improved by employing a polymer coating on the polymeric fibers packed in a fused silica capillary. The coating material was based on GC stationary phases. The polymer-coated fiber-packed capillary was used as the sample loop of the LC injection valve for the extraction of phthalate esters from river water and wastewater.22 The coated-fiber extraction capillaries demonstrated a better extraction efficiency and lower limit of quantification (LOQ) than the uncoated-fiber capillaries. Also, the coated fibers were similarly packed in a PEEK tube, which was used as the injection loop or integrated in the rotor of an LC injection valve employed for the extraction of phthalates. The results clearly showed that an extraction with high selectivity could be established with an appropriate type of polymer coating.23 

Compared with conventional particle-packed SPE cartridges, FIT-SPE provides an increased surface area for the extraction medium and a reduced pressure drop during extraction and desorption. Also, the undesirable plugging effect from insoluble materials in real samples can be very much diminished. Utilization of FIT-SPE has been discussed in a few review articles concerning the on-line coupling of miniaturized SPE to microcolumn liquid-phase separation techniques.24,25 

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