A nanofiber functionalized with dithizone by co-electrospinning for lead (II) adsorption from aqueous media

Highlights: ► We fabricated a composite electrospun nanofiber as a selective sorbent for lead (II) in PFSPE. ► The composite nanofiber was functionalized with the dithizone by co-electrospinning of the PS solution containing unbonded dithizone. ► The nanofiber was characterized by scanning electron microscope and IR spectra. ► We applied the nanofiber by packing in a cartridge. ► The nanofiber performed well in the absorption of lead (II) and was applied successfully in aqueous samples. - Abstract: An electrospun nanofiber was utilized as a sorbent in packed fiber solid phase extraction (PFSPE) for selective separation and preconcentration of lead (II). The nanofiber had a polystyrene (PS) backbone, which was functionalized with dithizone (DZ) by co-electrospinning of a PS solution containing DZ. The nanofiber exhibited its performance in a cartridge prepared by packing 5 mg of nanofiber. The nanofiber was characterized by a scanning electron microscope and IR spectra. The diameter of the nanofiber was less than 400 nm. After being activated by 2.0 mol L−1 NaOH aqueous solution, the nanofiber quantitatively sorbed lead (II) at pH 8.5, and the metal ion could be desorbed from it by three times of elution with a small volume of 0.1 mol L−1 HNO3 aqueous solution. The breakthrough capacity was 16 μg mg−1. The nanofiber could be used for concentration of lead (II) from water and other aqueous media, such as plasma with stable recovery in a simple and convenient manner.