COF-based surface protein imprinting particles: preparation and specific adsorption performance for BSA

High-performance molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) remain a focal point in protein separation and purification. The current researches focus on introducing novel porous carrier materials and optimizing the separation processes of MIPs. Herein, hollow covalent organic framework (COF) microspheres with controllable morphology were synthesized and used to construct COF-based MIPs (COF-MIPs) by coating the COF with dopamine as a functional monomer and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as template protein. The COF-MIPs with an average diameter of 220 nm have an internal COF microsphere of about 100 nm, in which the abundant internal and external connecting pores can generate an osmotic pressure difference to accelerate the adsorption process. Owing to the porous nature of the COF-MIPs, the material showed a high adsorption capacity of 260.37 mg/g within 30 min for BSA with a high imprint factor (IF) of 2.12. Moreover, the specifical recognition of BSA in mixed proteins and fetal bovine serum (FBS) exhibits superior reusable stability. The present work expands the application of COF microspheres to COF-MIPs, which are expected to be promising materials in protein separation and purification.