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Abstract
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NCs are defined as organic inorganic hybrid materials in which at least one dimension
of one component is less than 100 nm. Numerous synthesis routes have been introduced to prepare
NCs in recent years. This review provides a general overview regarding the present progress and
new applications of NCs toward their synthesis and use in microextraction techniques, including
solid-phase microextraction, stir bar sorptive extraction, needle trap extraction, microextraction in
packed syringe and thin film microextraction. NCs are multiphase solid materials possessing
different properties compared to those of the individual components. Due to the synergic effect of
NCs, any specific property of these materials is usually more than the sum of the individual ones.
The morphological characteristic of surface area/volume ratio for the reinforcing agents is an
important reason for their vast applications in sample preparation procedures. Overall, applying
NCs as sorbent in microextraction methods causes increased extraction efficiency due to the
multifunctionality resulting from the multiphase structure of NCs and the higher specific surface
area. Combination of these parameters allows higher mass transfer of analytes and enhancement
functional groups. All these phenomena lead to the increased retention of target compounds by
NC-based sorbents. Moreover, it is possible to prepare spread NCs with various functionalities by
utilizing different kinds of host polymers and nanofillers, which can produce the proper sorbents
for all purposes. Most of these features have encouraged some researchers to consider NCs in their
research and use them as efficient extracting media. Various methods have been reported for the
preparation of nanoparticle-based nanocomposites, including in situ polymerization, melt
compounding, solution blending, electrospinning and etc. In the following, the applications of NCs
in microextraction methods are comprehensively reviewed according to the type of rein
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