Rapid and enhanced detection of sulfonamide antibiotic using task-specific ionic liquids nanoconfined in tunable nanoporous carbons

The development of a novel multifunctional adsorbent for the sensitive detection and capture of antibiotic residues in environmental and food samples presents a significant challenge. In this study, we synthesized a pioneering nanocomposite, ILs@PC, by encapsulating task-specific ionic liquids (ILs) within nitrogen-doped porous carbon (PC) derived from metal-triazolate frameworks. This ILs@PC nanocomposite functions as a multifunctional adsorbent in dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE), enabling simultaneous sorptive removal, sensitive detection, and molecular sieve selection. The ILs@PC demonstrated enhanced adsorption efficiency and sensitivity for sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs) compared to the pristine PC, attributed to the nanoconfinement effect of the ILs and the influence of pore volume on this effect. When integrated with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the ILs@PC-based DSPE method achieved a detection limit of 0.75-1.88 mu g L- 1 for SAs, along with satisfactory recoveries of 86.0 %-111.9 %. Additionally, a portable syringe device was developed to facilitate rapid on-site extraction and enrichment of SAs. The practicality of this method was validated through its successful application in detecting SAs in real samples, including lake water and milk. This approach highlights its potential for efficient and rapid monitoring of antibiotic residues in both environmental and food systems.