Graphene-high rich polycaprolactone nanofibers prepared via alternating current electrospinning as advanced sustainable sorbents for environmental analysis

The increasing demand for environmental quality control demands advanced analytical tools for potentially harmful substances monitoring. The monitoring tools for trace level contaminant analyses typically rely on advanced chromatographic methods coupled with sensitive detectors and sustainable sample pre-treatment techniques to remove ballast matrix components. This study presents a straightforward approach for preparing a novel nanofibrous composite extraction sorbent based on biodegradable poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) polymer nanofibers and graphene (GR) nanoparticles prepared via alternating current (AC) electrospinning of polymer solution. Using AC electrospinning, it was possible to prepare more voluminous and porous layers with a higher GR particle content compared to the more common direct current (DC) method. The new composite material demonstrates high extraction efficiency of target analytes for chemical analysis of surface water pollutants while offering. The PCL-GR composite, with GR particle content up to 45 wt.%, was self-supporting, flexible, and did not require energy-intensive carbonization processes as more common GR materials. The composite was successfully tested for the retention of selected pesticides, insecticides, and residues typical for industrial pollution using on-line extraction coupled to chromatography, demonstrating its potential as solid-phase extraction (SPE) material for a common surface water pollutants. • Nanofiber sobent containing 44 wt% graphene while retaining mechanical integrity • Dynamic fabrication of high graphene content fibers via AC-assisted electrospinning • Extraction sorbents composed of fully degradable, environmentally friendly materials • On-line SPE–HPLC coupling enabling reduced analysis time and solvent consumption