Needle trap devices in analytical chemistry: A critical review of development, applications, and future perspectives

Sample preparation is a critical step in analytical chemistry, fundamentally affecting analytical measurements’ accuracy, precision, and sensitivity. In air analysis, conventional sampling methods often require large volumes of gas, complex equipment configurations, or labor-intensive sample handling processes, leading to analyte loss and contamination. 1 Among the emerging sample preparation techniques, needle trap devices (NTD) have gained considerable attention due to their unique ability to streamline workflows while addressing important environmental and operational challenges. 2− 4
The concept of NTD emerged in the late 1990s, evolving from the fundamental principles of solid phase microextraction (SPME) 5 and was introduced by Koziel et al. 6 in 2001. NTD combines headspace (HS) SPME with traditional sorbent-based extraction principles, providing advantages in sensitivity, selectivity