Improved polymeric materials for more efficient extraction of polar compounds from aqueous samples

This review describes several new polymeric sorbents whose properties for retaining polar compounds have been improved. They are mainly copolymeric sorbents with an appropriate balance of hydrophilicity and specific surface area and they can be divided into three groups: highly crosslinked (also including hypercrosslinked sorbents), hydrophilic and chemically modified. The sorption of these new synthesized materials, which is related to the chemical and morphological properties of the sorbents, is also evaluated, and the best results are for the sorbents that combine high specific surface area and hydrophilicity. The recoveries of polar compounds using these new sorbents, tested either by solid phase extraction and batch equilibration experiments, are summarized and compared.