Post-synthetic modification of covalent organic framework for efficient adsorption of organochlorine pesticides from cattle's milk

Abstract

Analysis of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues in milk faces a significant challenge. Herein, a sea urchin structured covalent organic framework bearing boric acid groups named COF-B(OH)₂ was synthesized and applied as a coating material for solid-phase microextraction (SPME) of the OCPs in cattle’s milk. Its performance was superior to that of three commonly used commercial SPME fibers, which could be due to the coexistence of hydrogen bonding, halogen bonding, π-stacking and electrostatic interactions. Besides, the fiber coating displayed good stability and reusability. After optimization, a COF-B(OH)₂ based SPME coupled with gas chromatography-electron capture detection was established for the sensitive detection of the OCPs from milk samples. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) were between 0.04 and 1.00 μg kg⁻¹. Satisfactory accuracy was achieved with the method recoveries in the range of 87.5 % to 112.5 %. These results manifest the feasibility of the COF-B(OH)₂ coated fiber for the enrichment of the trace OCPs from milk samples.