Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes as Solid-Phase Extraction Adsorbent for the Determination of Copper in Natural Water Samples

Abstract

To increase the sensitivity of the analysis method of good copper sample preparation is essential. In this context, an analytical method was developed for sensitive determination of Cu (II) in environmental water samples by using TiO2 nanotubes as a solid-phase extraction absorbent (SPE). Factors affecting the extraction efficiency including the type, volume, concentration, and flow rate of the elution solvent, the mass of the adsorbent, and the volume, pH, and flow rate of the sample were evaluated and optimized. TiO2 nanotubes exhibited their good enrichment capacity for Cu (II) (~98%). Under optimal conditions, the method of the analysis showed good linearity in the range of 0–22 mg L−1 (R2 > 0.99), satisfactory repeatability (relative standard deviation: RSD was 3.16, n = 5), and a detection limit of about 32.5 ng mL−1. The proposed method was applied to real water samples, and the achieved recoveries were above 95%, showing minimal matrix effect and the robustness of the optimized SPE method.