Making imprinted polymers work in water: Engineering interfaces for better resveratrol separation

The practical application of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in aqueous separations is critically hindered by an inherent trade-off between binding capacity and selectivity, stemming from non-specific hydrophobic interactions. Addressing this challenge, this work establishes a robust structure–performance relationship by precisely engineering the interfacial hydrophilicity of resveratrol-imprinted microspheres via epoxide ring-opening. Systematically varying the modification chemistry achieved wide-range tunability of surface wettability, with water contact angles (WCA) spanning 124.4°–19.9°. An optimal amphiphilic balance (WCA = 52.5°) using zwitterionic glycine delivered a high adsorption capacity of 43.14 mg g −1 and an imprinting factor of 2.08 under competitive aqueous conditions. Supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the optimized interface fosters a synergistic hydration shield, effectively repelling interfering species while facilitating targeted resveratrol capture. Our findings resolve the critical capacity-selectivity paradox, providing a generalizable paradigm for developing high-performance separation materials for complex aqueous streams in bio-processing and pharmaceutical wastewater treatment.