Novel solid-phase microextraction
coatings based on the use of multiwalled carbon nanotube–cyclodextrin (MWCNT-CD) nanocomposites were developed for the determination of 16-priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at ultratrace levels in snow samples. The performance of both β- and γ-CD was tested to increase the detection capabilities towards the heaviest and most lipophilic compounds, i.e., five- and six-ring PAHs. To facilitate the interactions of MWCNTs with CDs, an oxidation procedure using both HNO3and H2O2was applied, obtaining superior results using MWCNTs-H2O2-γ-CD fiber. Detection and quantitation limits below 0.7 and 2.3 ng/L, RSD lower than 21%, and recoveries of 88(± 2)–119.8(± 0.4)% proved the reliability of the developed method for the determination of PAHs at ultratrace levels. The complexation capability of the γ-CD was also demonstrated in solution by NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy studies and at solid state by XRD analysis. Finally, snow samples collected in the ski area of Dolomiti di Brenta were analyzed, showing a different distribution of the 16 priority PAHs, being naphthalene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene, and pyrene the only compounds detected in all the analyzed samples.Graphical AbstractSupplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00604-023-05799-8.