One-Pot Fabrication of Task Specific Magnetic Adsorbent for the Efficient Isolation and Capture of Liquid-Crystal Monomers Pollutants

Abstract

Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) have been classified as emerging organic pollutants. Efficient isolation and extraction is a critical step in the determination, and then knowing the occurrence and distribution of LCMs in environmental waters. Herein, using 1H,1H,2H,2H-heptadecafluorodecyl acrylate and 9-vinylanthracene as mixed functional monomers, a task specific magnetic adsorbent (TSMA) was quick prepared by means of one-pot hydrothermal technique for the highly efficient capture of LCMs under magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) format. The structure, morphology and magnetic property of as-prepared TSMA were examined with various characterized techniques. Due to the abundant functional groups, the developed TSMA/MSPE presented satisfactory capture performance towards LCMs through fluorophilic, π-π stacking and hydrophobic interactions. Satisfactory enrichment factors (132-212) and high adsorption capacity (18 mg/g) were obtained. Additionally, the relevant adsorption mechanism was studied by the combination of density functional theory calculation and experiments about adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherm. Under the beneficial conditions, a quick, sensitive and reliable method for the monitoring of studied LCMs in environmental waters was established by the combination of TSMA/MSPE with high-performance liquid chromatography. The achieved limits of detection and spiked recoveries were 0.0025-0.0061 μg/L and 81.0-112%, respectively. Finally, the developed method was employed to monitor LCMs levels in the North Creek watershed of Jiulong River, and supplied the first evidence for the occurrence and distribution of LCMs in North Creek watershed.

Keywords: Liquid crystal monomers, magnetic solid phase extraction, emerging contaminants, adsorbent, North Creek watershed