Magnetic nanoparticle based solid-phase extraction of heavy metal ions: A review on recent advances

This review (with 151 refs) focuses on recent progress that has been made in magnetic nanoparticle-based solid phase extraction (SPE), pre-concentration and speciation of heavy metal ions. In addition, it discusses applications to complex real samples such as environmental, food, and biological matrices. The introduction addresses current obstacles and limitations associated with established SPE approaches and discusses the present state of the art in different formats of off-line and on-line SPE. The next section covers magnetized inorganic nanomaterials for use in SPE, with subsections on magnetic silica, magnetic alumina and titania, and on magnetic layered double oxides. A further section treats magnetized carbonaceous nanomaterials for use in SPE, with subsections on magnetic graphene and/or graphene oxides, magnetic carbon nanotubes and magnetic carbon nitrides. We then discuss the progress made in SPE based on the use of magnetized organic polymers (mainly non-imprinted and ion-imprinted polymer). This is followed by shorter sections on the use of magnetized metal organic frameworks, magnetized ionic liquids and magnetized biosorbents. All sections include discussions of the nanomaterials in terms of selectivity, sorption capacity, mechanisms of sorption and common routes for material synthesis. A concluding section addresses actual challenges and discusses perspective routes towards further improvements.