Septum Sorption: A Hidden Bias in Headspace Analysis of Neutral PFAS and Its Implications for Air–Water Partition Coefficients

IF 7.3 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL

Environmental Science & Technology Letters Environ. Pub Date : 2026-08-11 Epub Date: 2026-08-01 DOI:10.1021/acs.estlett.6c00625

Liang Zhou, Qianxin Zhang, Bin Wang, Chao Chen, Yu Wang, Jun Huang, Gang Yu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Reliable quantification of neutral per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (nPFAS) via headspace analysis remains hindered by unrecognized analytical biases. We reveal a severe, previously unquantified artifact arising from sorptive interaction between nPFAS and commonly used polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/silicone septa, resulting in time-dependent signal loss exceeding 90% within 12 h. Incorporating septum sorption into the headspace equilibrium model shows that this artifact systematically distorts air–water partition coefficients (K_aw), artificially masking true nPFAS volatility and compromising environmental fate modeling. A simple aluminum-foil barrier successfully eliminates septum artifacts, restoring analyte stability and enabling reliable K_aw determination. These findings reveal a critical but underappreciated source of systematic error in headspace workflows, highlighting the need to account for sorptive artifacts to understand nPFAS environmental behavior.

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中隔吸收：中性PFAS顶空分析中的隐藏偏差及其对空气-水分配系数的影响

通过顶空分析对中性和多氟烷基物质（nPFAS）的可靠定量仍然受到未被认识到的分析偏差的阻碍。我们揭示了由nPFAS和常用聚四氟乙烯(PTFE)/硅隔层之间的吸附相互作用引起的严重的、以前未量化的伪像，导致12小时内随时间变化的信号损失超过90%。将隔层吸附纳入顶空平衡模型表明，这种伪像系统性地扭曲了空气-水分配系数（Kaw），人为地掩盖了nPFAS的真实挥发性，并损害了环境影响模型。一个简单的铝箔屏障成功地消除了隔膜伪影，恢复了分析物的稳定性，并实现了可靠的法测定。这些发现揭示了顶空工作流程中一个关键但未被充分认识的系统误差来源，强调了考虑吸收工件以理解pfas环境行为的必要性。

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来源期刊

Environmental Science & Technology Letters Environ. ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTALENVIRONMENTAL SC-ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

CiteScore

17.90

自引率

3.70%

发文量

163

期刊介绍： Environmental Science & Technology Letters serves as an international forum for brief communications on experimental or theoretical results of exceptional timeliness in all aspects of environmental science, both pure and applied. Published as soon as accepted, these communications are summarized in monthly issues. Additionally, the journal features short reviews on emerging topics in environmental science and technology.