A calix[4]arene-functionalized graphene oxide/polydopamine-coated cellulose acetate adsorbent was fabricated for the pre-concentration of aflatoxins. The highly porous developed adsorbent does not produce the high backpressure that normally occurs in particle-packed cartridges and its large surface area helps to improve adsorption. The highly efficient adsorption of aflatoxins by the hybrid adsorbent is facilitated via hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic and π-π interactions. Polymerization time, amount of calix[4]arene-functionalized graphene oxide, type and volume of desorption solvent, sample pH, sample volume, and sample flow rate were optimized. The linearity of aflatoxin B1 was in the range of 0.01-10.0 μg/kg, aflatoxin B2 was in the range of 0.02-10.0 μg/kg and aflatoxin G1 and aflatoxin G2 were in the range of 0.050-10.0 μg/kg. The limits of detection were 0.01 μg/kg for aflatoxin B1, 0.02 μg/kg for aflatoxin B2 and 0.05 μg/kg for aflatoxin G1 and aflatoxin G2. The developed calix[4]arene-functionalized graphene oxide/polydopamine-coated cellulose acetate adsorbent was successfully utilized for the analysis of aflatoxins from corn samples and the extraction efficiency was satisfactory with obtained recoveries from 83.0 to 106.7%. Moreover, fabricated adsorbent is easy to prepare, inexpensive, and can be reused.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.