Pore size adjustment strategy for the fabrication of Zr-based metal–organic frameworks composites as carrier for in-situ capture and separation of active ingredients

Because of the intricacy of traditional Chinese medicine, the extraction and separation for active components is restricted by current analytical techniques. The Zr-based metal–organic framework was strategically integrated into a “defective” structure, and pore size adjustment strategy was employed to fashion a dispersive, hierarchically porous composite. This composite has been utilized as a carrier in traditional Chinese medicine, particularly in conjunction with high-performance liquid chromatography, for the identification of active components. It exhibited significant selectivity in the absorption and separation for targeted analytes including alkaloids and carbohydrates via in-situ capture and separation, emphasizing the critical role played by the defective structure. The approach yielded recoveries of 81.5–101.4 % with a detection limit of 0.25 μg·L −1 . The approach demonstrated repeatability and stability, evidenced by the low relative standard deviations in efficiency measurements for separation, specifically below 0.8 % and 0.9 %, respectively. It offers distinctive insights and a versatile methodology for the extraction and separation of active ingredients from intricate matrices.