• Potentials of COFs as next-generation sorbents for SPE of sulfonamides • Strong performance of the COF-based sorbents for the SPE formats • Mechanistic understanding of the sulfonamide uptake. • Translation toward real wastewater monitoring, validation, and future directions The widespread occurrence of sulfonamide antibiotics in aquatic environments, driven by extensive consumption in human medicine, veterinary practice, and agriculture, coupled with their persistence and adverse ecotoxicological effects, necessitates the development of advanced analytical methods for their efficient extraction and reliable quantification at trace concentrations. This comprehensive review critically evaluates recent developments and potential applications of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as innovative sorbent materials for the solid-phase extraction (SPE) of sulfonamides from aqueous matrices. The COFs possess exceptional physicochemical properties, including ultrahigh specific surface area, tunable pore architectures, excellent chemical and thermal stability, and versatile functionalization capabilities, rendering them superior to conventional sorbent materials for selective analyte pre-concentration. The extraction mechanisms governing sulfonamide uptake involve synergistic interactions, predominantly π–π stacking between COF aromatic frameworks and sulfonamide ring systems, hydrogen bonding with heteroatoms within the COF structures, electrostatic attractions modulated by solution pH, and pore confinement effects that facilitate analyte enrichment. Magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) employing core–shell Fe 3 O 4 @COF nanocomposites has emerged as particularly advantageous, enabling rapid magnetic separation, reduced solvent consumption, exceptional reusability extending to 100 cycles, and detection limits as low as 0.004 μg/L for the analytes determination when coupled with LCMS. Fiber-based solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) using COF-coated membranes such as TPDPP@PDMS has achieved extraction recoveries of 80.1–120.0% with detection limits of 0.82–2.50 ng/L, outperforming commercial sorbents by factors of up to 93.9-fold. The validation of COFs in real water matrices including river water, lake water, tap water, and wastewater treatment plant effluents has confirmed recoveries of 60.9 – 120.0% with excellent precision, while hybrid COF composites incorporating metal-organic frameworks, molecularly imprinted polymers, and natural substrates have demonstrated enhanced stability, selectivity, and reusability. Hence, this review consolidates current knowledge and identifies priority research directions, including the development of multifunctional COF composites, integration with advanced detection technologies, green synthesis approaches, and machine learning-guided sorbent design, to accelerate the translation of these promising materials from laboratory demonstrations to routine environmental monitoring applications for safeguarding water quality and protecting ecosystem and human health from sulfonamide contamination.
Zango et al. (Fri,) studied this question.