Aerogels and cryogels as green sorbents for organic contaminant extraction and chromatographic analysis

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in developing more environmentally friendly analytical methods. In this context, microextraction techniques have gained wider application, and novel materials are being researched as potential adsorbents. Among these, aerogels and cryogels stand out due to their exceptional attributes, including high porosity, large surface area, excellent adsorption capacity, and favorable mechanical properties. These materials can be combined with various affinity substances to form composites that interact with a wide range of analytes. This manuscript reviews the numerous applications of aerogels and cryogels in microextraction pretreatment processes, focusing on the extraction of organic pollutants from various matrices prior to liquid chromatography (LC) or gas chromatography (GC) analysis. The extraction methods and analytical parameters are thoroughly discussed, highlighting the environmental benefits of using aerogels and cryogels as green adsorbents. The future directions are also pointed out. • Aerogels and cryogels are novel porous materials with a high sorptive potential. • These materials integrate improvements in material and sample preparation science fields. • They are suitable for extraction of organic contaminants prior chromatographic analysis. • They are tunable and can also integrate other novel materials • They can be combined with many microextraction techniques.