Traditional liquid phase extraction techniques that use optically responsive ligands provide benefits that enable cost-efficient and rapid measurements. However, these approaches have limitations in their excessive use of organic solvents and multistep procedures. Here, we developed a simple, nanoscale extraction approach by replacing the macroscopic organic phase with hydrophobic polymeric nanoparticles that are dispersed in an aqueous feed. The concentration of analytes in polymeric nanoparticle suspensions is governed by similar partition principles to liquid-liquid phase extraction techniques. By encasing optically responsive metal ligands inside polymeric nanoparticles, we introduce a one-step metal quantification assay based on traditional two-phase extraction methodologies. As an initial proof of concept, we encapsulated bathophenanthroline (BP) inside the particles to extract then quantify Fe2+ with colorimetry in a dissolved supplement tablet and creek water. These Fe2+ nanosensors are sensitive and selective and report out with fluorescence by adding a fluorophore (DiO) into the particle core. To show that this new rapid extraction assay is not exclusive to measuring Fe2+, we replaced BP with either 8-hydroxyquinoline or bathocuproine to measure Al3+ or Cu+, respectively, in water samples. Utilizing this nanoscale extraction approach will allow users to rapidly quantify metals of interest without the drawbacks of larger-scale phase extraction approaches while also allowing for the expansion of phase extraction methodologies into areas of biological research.
Keywords: extraction; metal determination; nanoparticles; nanosensors; optical probes.