This Feature simply introduces the history and mechanism of classical electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) systems for the detection of biomolecules, highlights new advances and emerging fields of the ECL biosensing with recent illustrative examples, and presents the challenges and perspectives of ECL biosensing.

A simply and high selectively electrochemical method for simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and catechol has been developed at a glassy carbon electrode modified with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNT). It was found that the oxidation peak separation of hydroquinone and catechol and the oxidation currents of hydroquinone and catechol greatly increase at MWNT modified electrode in 0.20 M acetate buffer solution (pH 4.5). The oxidation peaks of hydroquinone and catechol merge into a large peak of 302 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl, 3 M NaCl) at bare glassy carbon electrode. The two corresponding well-defined oxidation peaks of hydroquinone in the presence of catechol at MWNT modified electrode occur at 264 mV and 162 mV, respectively. Under the optimized condition, the oxidation peak current of hydroquinone is linear over a range from 1.0 Â 10 À6 M to 1.0 Â 10 À4 M hydroquinone in the presence of 1.0 Â 10 À4 M catechol with the detection limit of 7.5 Â 10 À7 M and the oxidation peak current of catechol is linear over a range from 6.0 Â 10 À7 M to 1.0 Â 10 À4 M catechol in the presence of 1.0 Â 10 À4 M hydroquinone with the detection limit of 2.0 Â 10 À7 M. The proposed method has been applied to simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and catechol in a water sample with simplicity and high selectivity.

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence (also called electrochemiluminescence and abbreviated ECL) involves the generation of species at electrode surfaces that then undergo electron-transfer reactions to form excited states that emit light. ECL biosensor, combining advantages offered by the selectivity of the biological recognition elements and the sensitivity of ECL technique, is a powerful device for ultrasensitive biomolecule detection and quantification. Nanomaterials are of considerable interest in the biosensor field owing to their unique physical and chemical properties, which have led to novel biosensors that have exhibited high sensitivity and stability. Nanomaterials including nanoparticles and nanotubes, prepared from metals, semiconductor, carbon or polymeric species, have been widely investigated for their ability to enhance the efficiencies of ECL biosensors, such as taking as modification electrode materials, or as carrier of ECL labels and ECL-emitting species. Particularly useful application of nanomaterials in ECL biosensors with emphasis on the years 2004-2008 is reviewed. Remarks on application of nanomaterials in ECL biosensors are also surveyed.

A double covalent coupling method for the fabrication of a highly sensitive and reusable electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) chemical sensor for the detection of tertiary amines and ECL aptamer-based (ECL-AB) biosensor for the detection of cocaine is reported. The ECL sensors were constructed by covalent coupling of amino-containing Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) derivatives (Ru1, Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) = tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)) or cocaine aptamer-Ru1 to the surface of a paraffin-impregnated graphite electrode that had been covalently modified with a monolayer of 4-aminobenzene sulfonic acid via electrochemical oxidations. ECL performance of the newly developed chemical sensors was evaluated using tri-n-propylamine (TPrA) and metoclopramide (MCP) as model analytes. The sensors exhibited excellent sensitivity, stability, and reproducibility with a detection limit of 30 nM for TPrA and 2.0 nM for MCP, and relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 2.1% over 90 cyclic potential cycles (0 to 1.50 V vs Ag/AgCl) and 2.6% over 45 cycles (0.60 to +1.30 V vs Ag/AgCl) at 400 mV/s for 50 nM TPrA and 200 nM MCP, respectively. For the ECL-AB biosensor, it showed an extremely low detection limit of 10 pM for cocaine, and offered a good selectivity toward cocaine, heroin, and caffeine. This detection limit was about 4-6 orders of magnitude lower than that reported on the basis of alternating current (AC) voltammetry and optical aptamer-based cocaine biosensors. Additionally, the ECL-AB biosensor was highly reusable (RSD = 2.8%, n = 7) and possessed long-term storage stability (96.8% initial ECL recovery over 21 days storage). A binding constant of 4.6 +/- 0.3 x 10(9) M(-1) between cocaine and its aptamer was estimated using an ECL based Langmuir isotherm approach. Wide ranging applications of the presently reported strategy in fabricating various chemical sensors or biosensors are expected.

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