Computer-aided design and experimental study of thermosensitive magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers for chlorogenic acid recognition

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a naturally occurring phenolic compound with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It holds considerable promise for pharmaceutical development and functional food applications. However, the conventional extraction procedure for CGA is labor-intensive and necessitates substantial volumes of eluent. In this paper, thermosensitive magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (TMMIPs) were synthesized by the surface imprinting method. To predict the optimal ratio of the template to the two functional monomers, computational studies and adsorption performance experiments were conducted. The structure of the prepared TMMIPs was characterized using SEM, IR, XRD, VSM, TGA, and DLS. The synthesized TMMIPs exhibit a high adsorption capacity (121.95 mg g −1 ), good selectivity and reusability for CGA. The adsorption process can be equilibrated in 25 min, magnetic separation in 10 s, and elution in 25 min. Therefore, it also features rapidity and high efficiency. The synthesized TMMIPs exhibited excellent selectivity and efficiency in enriching and quantifying CGA from Eucommia ulmoides leaves extracts. Recovery experiments conducted at three spiked concentration levels yielded recovery rates between 89.80% and 95.20%, with relative standard deviations ( RSD s) of less than 5%. TMMIPs offer a rapid, highly selective, and environmentally friendly strategy for isolating CGA from complex sample matrices.