Graphene and Its Composites in Sample Preparation

Sample preparation procedure is crucial for the sensitivity, selectivity and accuracy of the quantitative analysis. The exploration and study of new technologies and methods in sample preparation have become important subject and direction in current analytical chemistry owing to its significance. Sorption-based extraction techniques are currently the most widely applied sample preparation techniques. The core component of the sorption-based extraction techniques is adsorbent material, which dominates the selectivity and sensitivity of the method. Therefore, the development of new adsorbent materials is a hot research topic in sample preparation. As a novel class of carbonaceous nanomaterials, graphene has attracted considerable interest in many subjects due to its excellent physical and chemical properties. Remarkably, the superior merits of graphene, for instance, large specific surface area, good thermal and chemical stability, entirely lead to its numerous applications in separation science. This article focuses on the application of graphene and its composites in many sample preparation technologies (including solid-phase extraction, solid-phase microextraction, magnetic solid-phase extraction and other technologies) in order to monitor the trace substances in different matrices ( such as environmental, food, biological samples and so on). Finally the existing problem of graphene in sample preparation is summarized, and the possible challenges and future perspectives in this field are also described.