Nanoscale Polyaniline-Functionalized Cyclodextrin-Based Microporous Organic Networks for Selective Separation of Ferulic Acid from Traditional Chinese Medicine Extracts

Abstract

Selective separation of bioactive compounds such as ferulic acid (FA) from complex traditional Chinese medicine extracts remains challenging due to their low abundance and numerous interfering substances. Herein, a cationic polyaniline-functionalized cyclodextrin-based microporous organic network (β-CD-MON@2PANI) with a regulated nanoscale pore environment is constructed via a polycation-modulated polymerization strategy for the selective separation of FA. The resulting material exhibits a high surface area, rapid binding kinetics (equilibrium within 10 min), and stable adsorption performance over 11 complete adsorption–desorption cycles. Batch adsorption experiments show that β-CD-MON@2PANI achieves a high adsorption capacity of 259.8 mg g–1 for FA and displays preferential adsorption over common interferents and structural analogues. The observed selectivity is attributed to the combined contribution of electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and possible host–guest inclusion within the tailored nanoscale pore environment. In vivo evaluation confirms excellent biocompatibility of β-CD-MON@2PANI at an oral dose of 40 mg kg–1. This study not only demonstrates that β-CD-MON@2PANI can be applied for FA enrichment from complex traditional Chinese medicine extracts but also outlines a material design concept that may be extended to the selective separation of other bioactive compounds.