Electromembrane extraction of nicotine in inhaled aerosols from tobacco cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and heated tobacco products

[Display omitted] •Electromembrane extraction was first used to extract nicotine in inhaled aerosols.•Electromembrane extraction exhibited good selectivity and sample clean-up capability.•This method was used to analyze nicotine in aerosols from different tobacco products.•Wide linear correlation, good accuracy and low detection limit were confirmed.•Heated tobacco products, electronic cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes were compared. Heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes are considered as alternatives to traditional tobacco cigarettes. However, it is crucial to monitor and compare the nicotine concentration in inhaled aerosols from these tobacco products, owing to the addictive nature and adverse effects of nicotine on human health. This study aimed to provide an electromembrane extraction (EME) combined liquid chromatography method to extract and determine nicotine in different inhaled aerosols. EME showed high extraction efficiency, selectivity, and sample clean-up capability. Under the optimal parameters, the linear range for nicotine was 0.1–200 mg L−1 (r2 > 0.9998), and the limit of detection was 0.02 mg L−1. Good precision was obtained with the intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations of 2.2 % and 2.8 %, respectively. Repeatability was satisfactory (