Nanomaterials in Electrochemiluminescence Sensors

Abstract

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is a means of converting electrical energy into radiative energy. With combined advantages of chemiluminescence and electrochemical control, an interest in ECL has grown rapidly and is broadly applied in biological analysis. Recently, nanomaterials have been widely applied in the vast majority of ECL studies to remarkably amplify signals, owing to their excellent conductivity, large surface area, and sometimes catalytic activity. Herein, we present a Review article on novel nanomaterials in ECL sensors. We introduce the main types of nanomaterials and their physical, chemical, and biological properties along with applications in different ECL sensors with respect to the corresponding functions they serve. A major focus is placed upon numerous research strategies for addressing the signal amplification with nanomaterials in ECL. Lastly, a perspective on the challenges and opportunities of this emerging field is given.

Functionalization of 2D MoS2 Nanosheets with Various Metal and Metal Oxide Nanostructures: Their Properties and Application in Electrochemical Sensors

“…This technique combines the advantages of electrochemistry and chemiluminescence in resolving single sensing limitations, making it more desirable for precise detection and enhancement of a sensor’s sensitivity and specificity. ECL refers to the light emission from an excited state produced by the electron transfer reaction between species at electrode surfaces following electrochemical reactions [ 236 ]. ECL detection consists of measuring photon output and, thus, the light intensity emitted in the solution during an electrochemical reaction.…”

“…The light intensity is therefore directly proportional to the concentration of one or more of the reactants involved in the electrochemical reaction [ 237 ]. ECL has many advantages over photoluminescence, such as simplicity, high sensitivity, and rapidity response, and does not require the use of an external light source, leading to a high luminescent purity and a low optical background noise [ 236 , 238 ]. Furthermore, the ECL emission light can be initiated and controlled with high reproducibility and accuracy by alternating the applied potential [ 236 , 239 ].…”

Recent Progress of Novel Electrochemiluminescence Nanoprobes and Their Analytical Applications

“…Thanks to the unremitting investigation and evolution of ECL nanoprobes ( Chen et al, 2017 ; Sun et al, 2017 ; Zhai et al, 2017 ), the number of exciting breakthroughs in analytical applications keeps adding up. For instance, sensitive bioassay of tumor markers is hopefully becoming more universal (like ECL detection for exosomes, by Zhang et al (2019) ), and spatially resolved ECL imaging can be utilized in smaller scale to analyze electrochemical reactions (like Chen et al (2020) observed single-particle electrocatalytic activity).…”

Electrodeposited Prussian Blue on carbon black modified disposable electrodes for direct enzyme-free H2O2 sensing in a Parkinson’s disease in vitro model

“…Among these, electrochemical sensors are very appealing for their simplicity, speed, sensitivity, miniaturization and cost-effectiveness [18]. In the past two decades biosensors have dominated the sensors scenario even in the ROS detection field [17,19], while in the last decade nanomaterials have become alternative/ complementary sensor useful tools [20][21][22][23][24]. Indeed, nanostructured sensors allow to improve the sensitivity and selectivity providing larger surface area and faster electron transfers in comparison with their bulk counterparts [21,25,26].…”