A reagentless electrochemiluminescent immunosensor for apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 detection based on the new Ru(bpy)3/bi-arginine system

Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE-1), a kind of multifunctional protein widely-distributed in the body, plays an essential role in the DNA base excision repair and serves as multiple possible roles in the response of human cancer to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In this work, an ultrasensitive solid-state electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor is designed to determine APE-1 based on the new Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/bi-arginine system. The bi-arginine (bi-Arg) is decorated on the Au nanoparticles functionalized magnetic Fe₃O₄/reduced graphene oxide (bi-Arg/Au@Fe₃O₄–rGO) according to the self-assembling and covalent cross-linking interaction to obtain the functionalized nanocomposite of bi-Arg/Au@Fe₃O₄–rGO. Herein, the bi-Arg/Au@Fe₃O₄–rGO plays not only an amplification label to enhance the ECL signal of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ due to the coreactant of bi-Arg but also an ideal nanocarrier to load numerous secondary antibody. Based on sandwich-type immunoassay format, this proposed method offers a linear range of 1.0 fg mL⁻¹–5.0 pg mL⁻¹ and an estimated detection limit of 0.3 fg mL⁻¹ for the APE-1. Moreover, the reagentless ECL immunosensor also exhibits high sensitivity, excellent selectivity and good stability, which has greatly potential development and application in clinical diagnostics, immunology and biomedical research.     

Quenched electrochemiluminescence of Ag nanoparticles functionalized g-C3N4 by ferrocene for highly sensitive immunosensing

In this paper, a novel sandwich electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor was constructed by ferrocene for quenching Ag nanoparticles functionalized g-C₃N₄ (Ag@g-C₃N₄) emission. The prepared Ag@g-C₃N₄ had strong and stable ECL signals compared to pure g-C₃N₄ and primary antibody (Ab₁) can be immobilized on Ag@g-C₃N₄ by adsorption of Ag nanoparticles. Ferrocene carboxylic acid (Fc-COOH) labeled secondary antibody was immobilized on Au doped mesoporous Al₂O₃ nanorods (Au@Al₂O₃–Fc-COOH@Ab₂) as labels through adsorption ability of Au toward proteins. After a sandwich-type immunoreaction, a remarkable decrease of ECL signal was observed due to the ECL quenching of Ag@g-C₃N₄ by Au@Al₂O₃–Fc-COOH@Ab₂. As a result, the change of ECL intensity has a direct relationship with the logarithm of CEA concentrations in the range of 1 pg mL⁻¹–100 ng mL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.35 pg mL⁻¹ (S/N = 3). Additionally, the proposed immunosensor shows high specificity, good reproducibility, and long-term stability.     

Determination of itopride hydrochloride by high-performance liquid chromatography with Ru(bpy)3 electrogenerated chemiluminescence detection

In this work, a stable electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) detector was developed. The detector was prepared by packing cation-exchanged resin particles in a glass tube, followed by inserting Pt wires (working electrode) in this tube and sealing. The leakage of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ can be compensated by adding a small amount of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ into solution phase. Coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography separation, the detector has been used for determination of itopride hydrochloride in human serum. Under the optimal conditions, the ECL intensity has a linear relationship with the concentration of itopride hydrochloride in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ g mL⁻¹ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ g mL⁻¹ and the detection limit was 3 × 10⁻⁹ g mL⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The as-prepared ECL detector displayed good sensitivity and stability.     

Electrochemiluminescence immunosensor for ultrasensitive detection of biomarker using Ru(bpy)3-encapsulated silica nanosphere labels

Here, we describe a new approach for electrochemiluminescence (ECL) assay with Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-encapsulated silica nanoparticle (SiO₂@Ru) as labels. A water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsion method was employed for one-pot synthesis of SiO₂@Ru nanoparticles. The as-synthesized SiO₂@Ru nanoparticles have a narrow size distribution, which allows reproducible loading of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ inside the silica shell and of α-fetoprotein antibody (anti-AFP), a model antibody, on the silica surface with glutaraldehyde as linkage. The silica shell effectively prevents leakage of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ into the aqueous solution due to strong electrostatic interaction between the positively charged Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ and the negatively charged surface of silica. The porous structure of silica shell allowed the ion to move easily through the pore to exchange energy/electrons with the entrapped Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. The as-synthesized SiO₂@Ru can be used as a label for ultrasensitive detection of biomarkers through a sandwiched immunoassay process. The calibration range of AFP concentration was 0.05-30 ng mL⁻¹ with linear relation from 0.05 to 20 ng mL⁻¹ and a detection limit of 0.035 ng mL⁻¹ at 3σ. The resulting immunosensors possess high sensitivity and good analytical performance.     

Solid-state electrochemiluminescence sensor through the electrodeposition of Ru(bpy)3/AuNPs/chitosan composite film onto electrode

Tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺) has been successfully immobilized onto electrode through the electrodeposition of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/AuNPs/chitosan composite film. In the experiments, chitosan solution was first mixed with Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) and Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. Then, during chronopotentiometry experiments in this mixed solution, a porous 3D network structured film containing Ru(bpy)₃²⁺, AuNPs and chitosan has been electrodeposited onto cathode due to the deposition of chitosan when pH value is over its pK_a (6.3). The applied current density is crucial to the film thickness and the amount of the entrapped Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. Additionally, these doping Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ in the composite film maintained their intrinsic electrochemical and electrochemiluminescence activities. Consequently, this Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/AuNPs/chitosan modified electrode has been used in ECL to detect tripropylamine, and the detection limit was 5 × 10⁻¹⁰ M.     

3D nanostructured Ni(OH)2 microspheres as an efficient immobilization matrix of Ru(bpy)3 for high-performance electrochemiluminescence sensor

The electrochemistry and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of novel three-dimensional nanostructured Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/Ni(OH)₂ microspheres were investigated for the first time. The negatively charged porous Ni(OH)₂ microspheres composed of Ni(OH)₂ nanowires were specifically designed to interact with Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. The large surface area and porous structure of Ni(OH)₂ microspheres enhance loading of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ and mass transport of the model analyte, tripropylamine (TPA). Excellent ECL performance of the presented sensor was achieved including good stability and wide linear range from 7.7 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 3.8 × 10⁻³ M with the detection limit of 2.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ M to TPA.     

Electrochemiluminescence from Ru(bpy)3 immobilized in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate)-poly(vinyl alcohol) composite films

Electrochemical behavior and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺) immobilized in poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate)-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PEDOT/PSS-PVA) composite films via ion-exchange have been investigated with tripropylamine (TPA) as the co-reactant at a glassy carbon electrode. The immobilized Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ performed a surface-controlled electrode reaction. The Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ modified electrode showed a fast ECL response to TPA, and was used for the ECL detection of TPA with high sensitivity. The ECL intensity was linearly related to concentrations of TPA over the range from 0.50 μmol L⁻¹ to 0.80 mmol L⁻¹, and the detection limit was 0.10 μmol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The as-prepared electrode exhibited good precision and long-term stability for TPA determination.     

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes and Ru(bpy)3/nano-Au nano-sphere as efficient matrixes for a novel solid-state electrochemiluminescence sensor

An effective method for immobilization of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ on glassy carbon electrode surface (GCE) is developed for the preparation of a novel electrochemiluminescence sensor. First of all, the positively charged Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ is modified on the surface of negatively charged gold nanoparticles (nano-Au) via the electrostatic interactions to obtain the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/nano-Au nano-sphere (abbreviate as Ru-AuNPs). Subsequently, the large amount of Ru-AuNPs are immobilized on the multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-Nafion homogeneous composite coated GCE by dual interaction: firstly, the Nafion, a kind of typical cation-exchange membrane, can absorb the Ru-AuNPs as the enrichment of cation Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ on the Ru-AuNPs surface; secondly, the employment of carboxylic MWCNTs in the Nafion film can also chemosorb the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ cation on the Ru-AuNPs surface to increase the carrier content. At the same time, the experiment confirms that the enhancement of the ECL intensity on the sensor is attributed to following reasons. One hand, the employment of MWCNTs in the Nafion film enlarged the electro-active surface areas to benefit the contact between the signal probe on the composite film and coreactant used as reinforcing agent. On the other hand, the nano-materials of MWCNTs and nano-Au also improve the conductivity of the assembled film to increase the quantity of excited state of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ in the unit time under the electrochemical condition and finally cause better properties in luminescence. In the experiment, the influence of the coreactant tripropylamine (TPA) on proposed ECL sensor is investigated. The logarithm of ECL intensity is proportional to the logarithm of TPA concentration on the range of 4 × 10⁻¹⁰ M to 2.8 × 10⁻⁶ M and 2.8 × 10⁻⁶ M to 0.71 × 10⁻³ M. After optimizing these conditions, the ECL sensor with TPA as coreactant is employed to detect a kind of alkaloid medicine, Matrine, for evaluating the practical application in the medicine analysis. The present sensor with TPA as coreactant shows the good response to the medicine concentration of the Matrine from 2.0 × 10⁻⁶ M to 6.0 × 10⁻³ M, which is used to detect the Matrine concentration in the Matrine injection.     

A Novel Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence (ECL) Sensor Based on Ru(bpy)32+‐Doped Titania Nanoparticles Dispersed in Nafion on Glassy Carbon Electrode

A novel electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on Ru(bpy)₃²⁺‐doped titania (RuDT) nanoparticles dispersed in a perfluorosulfonated ionomer (Nafion) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was developed in this paper. The electroactive component‐Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ was entrapped within the titania nanoparticles by the inverse microemulsion polymerization process that produced spherical sensors in the size region of 38±3 nm. The RuDT nanoparticles were characterized by electrochemical, transmission electron and scanning microscopy technology. The Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ encapsulation interior of the titania nanoparticles maintains its ECL efficiency and also reduces Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ leaching from the titania matrix when immersed in water due to the electrostatic interaction. This is the first attempt to prepare the RuDT nanoparticles and extend the application of electroactive component‐doped nanoparticles into the field of ECL. Since a large amount of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ was immobilized three‐dimensionally on the electrode, the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ ECL signal could be enhanced greatly, which finally resulted in the increased sensitivity. The ECL analytical performance of this ECL sensor for tripropylamine (TPA) was investigated in detail. This sensor shows a detection limit of 1 nmol/L for TPA. Furthermore, the present ECL sensor displays outstanding long‐term stability.     

Determination of adrenaline by using inhibited Ru(bpy)3 electrochemiluminescence

Adrenaline was found to inhibit strongly the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) from the Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/tripropylamine system when a working Pt electrode was maintained at 1.05 V (versus Ag/AgCl) in pH 8.0 phosphate buffer. On this basis, a flow injection (FI) procedure with inhibited electrochemiluminescence detection has been developed for determination of adrenaline. The method exhibited a good reproducibility, sensitivity, and stability with a detection limit (signal-to-noise ratio = 3) of 7.0×10⁻⁹ mol l⁻¹ and dynamic concentration range of 2×10⁻⁸ to 1×10⁻⁴ mol l⁻¹. The relative standard deviation was 2.2% for 1.0×10⁻⁶ mol l⁻¹ adrenaline (n=11). The method was successfully applied to the determination of adrenaline in pharmaceutical samples. Moreover, ECL emission spectra, UV-Vis absorption spectra and cyclic voltammograms of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/tripropylamine/adrenaline were studied. The inhibition mechanism has been proposed as the interaction of electrogenerated Ru(bpy)₃^2+* and the o-benzoquinone derivatives, adrenochrome and adrenalinequinone, at the electrode surface.     

Tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) electrochemiluminescence sensor based on carbon nanotube/organically modified silicate films

In this paper, a novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor was constructed to determine herring sperm (HS) double-stranded (ds) DNA. Tetramethoxysilane and dimethyldimethoxysilane were selected as co-precursors to form an organically modified silicate (ORMOSIL) film for the immobilization of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) wrapped by poly(p-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), and then Tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺) was successfully immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode via ion-association. PSS was employed to increase the conductivity of the ORMOSIL film and disperse the cut MWNTs, which were cut and shortened in a mixture of concentrated sulfuric and nitric acids, in the film. It was found that MWNTs could adsorb Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ and acted as conducting pathways to connect Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ sites to the electrode. MWNTs also played a key role as materials for the mechanical and thermal properties. The ECL performance of this modified electrode was evaluated in a flow injection analysis (FIA) system, and the detection limit (S/N = 3) for HS ds-DNA was 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ g mL⁻¹ with a linear range from 1.34 × 10⁻⁶ to 6.67 × 10⁻⁴ g mL⁻¹ (R² = 0.9876). In addition, the ECL sensor presented excellent characteristics in terms of stability, reproducibility and application life.     

Tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) electrogenerated chemiluminescence sensor based on carbon nantube dispersed in sol-gel-derived titania-Nafion composite films

A highly sensitive and stable tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺) electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) sensor was developed based on carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersed in mesoporous composite films of sol-gel titania and perfluorosulfonated ionomer (Nafion). Single-wall (SWCNT) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) can be easily dispersed in the titania-Nafion composite solution. The hydrophobic CNT in the titania-Nafion composite films coated on a glassy carbon electrode certainly increased the amount of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ immobilized in the ECL sensor by adsorption of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ onto CNT surface, the electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of hydrophobic analytes, and the electronic conductivity of the composite films. Therefore, the present ECL sensor based on the CNT-titania-Nafion showed improved ECL sensitivity for tripropylamine (TPA) compared to the ECL sensors based on both titania-Nafion composite films without CNT and pure Nafion films. The present Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ ECL sensor based on the MWCNT-titania--Nafion composite gave a linear response (R² = 0.999) for TPA concentration from 50 nM to 1.0 mM with a remarkable detection limit (S/N = 3) of 10 nM while the ECL sensors based on titania-Nafion composite without MWCNT, pure Nafion films, and MWCNT-Nafion composite gave a detection limit of 0.1 μM, 1 μM, and 50 nM, respectively. The present ECL sensor showed outstanding long-term stability (no signal loss for 4 months).     

Determination of sinomenine in Sinomenium acutum by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemiluminescence detection

A Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-based electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection coupled with capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been established for the determination of sinomenine for the first time. Optimum separation was achieved with a fused-silica capillary column (50 cm × 25 μm i.d.) and a background electrolyte of 50 mM sodium phosphate (pH 5.0) at a separation voltage of 15 kV. The content of sinomenine was detected by ECL at the detection voltage of 1.15 V (versus Ag/AgCl) with 5 mM Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ in 75 mM phosphate solution (pH 8.0) when a chemically modified platinum electrode by europium(III)-doped prussian blue analogue (Eu-PB) was used as a working electrode. Under the optimized conditions, the ECL intensity was in proportion to sinomenine concentration in the range from 0.01 to 1.0 μg mL⁻¹ with a detection limit of 2.0 ng mL⁻¹ (3σ). The relative standard derivations of migration time and ECL intensity were 0.93 and 1.11%, respectively. The level of sinomenine in Sinomenium acutum Rehd. et Wils was easily determined with recoveries between 98.6 and 102.7%.     

Electrochemiluminescence from tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)-graphene-Nafion modified electrode

An electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-graphene-Nafion composite film was developed. The graphene sheet was produced by chemical conversion of graphite, and was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The introduction of conductive graphene into Nafion not only greatly facilitates the electron transfer of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺, but also dramatically improves the long-term stability of the sensor by inhibiting the migration of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ into the electrochemically inactive hydrophobic region of Nafion. The ECL sensor gives a good linear range over 1 × 10⁻⁷ to 1 × 10⁻⁴ M with a detection limit of 50 nM towards the determination of tripropylamine (TPA), comparable to that obtained by Nafion-CNT. The ECL sensor keeps over 80% and 85% activity towards 0.1 mM TPA after being stored in air and in 0.1 M pH 7.5 phosphate buffer solution (PBS) for a month, respectively. The long-term stability of the modified electrode is better than electrodes modified with Nafion, Nafion-silica, Nafion-titania, or sol-gel films containing Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. Furthermore, the ECL sensor was successfully applied to the selective and sensitive determination of oxalate in urine samples.     

Sensitive and versatile electrogenerated chemiluminescence biosensing platform for protein kinase based on Ru(bpy)3 functionalized gold nanoparticles mediated signal transduction

A novel, sensitive and versatile electrogenerated chemiluminescence biosensing platform is developed for monitoring activity and inhibition of protein kinase based on Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ functionalized gold nanoparticles (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-AuNPs) mediated signal transduction. Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-AuNPs were formed by functionalizing AuNPs with Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ through electrostatic interactions and were used as thiol-versatile signal probe. Casein kinase II (CK2) and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), two classical protein kinase implicated in disease, were chosen as model protein kinases while a CK2-specific peptide (CRRRADDSDDDDD) and a PKA-specific peptide (CLRRASLG) were employed as molecular substrate for CK2 and PKA, respectively. The specific peptide was self-assembled onto the gold electrode via Au–S bond to form ECL biosensor. Upon thiophosphorylation of the peptide on the electrode in the presence of protein kinase and co-substrate adenosine-5’-(γ-thio)-triphosphate, Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-AuNPs was assembled onto the thiophosphorylated peptides via Au–S bond. The Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-AuNPs attached on electrode surface produce detectable ECL signal in the presence of coreactant tripropylamine. This strategy is promising for multiple protein kinase assay and kinase inhibitor profiling with high sensitivity, good selectivity and versatility. The ECL intensity is proportional to the activity of CK2 in the range of 0.01–0.5 unit/mL with a low detection limit of 0.008 unit/mL and to the activity of PKA in the range of 0.01–0.4 unit/mL with a detection limit of 0.005 unit/mL. Additionally, this assay was applied to the detection of CK2 in serum samples and the inhibition of CK2 and PKA. This work demonstrates that the developed ECL method can provide a sensitive and versatile platform for the detection of kinase activity and drug-screening.     

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence biosensor based on Ru(bpy)3(2+) and dehydrogenase immobilized in sol-gel/chitosan/poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) composite material

A new electrogenerated chemiluminescence biosensor was fabricated by immobilizing ECL reagent Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ and alcohol dehydrogenase in sol-gel/chitosan/poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) organically modified composite material. The component PSS was used to immobilize ECL reagent Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ by ion-exchange, while the addition of chitosan was to prevent the cracking of conventional sol-gel-derived glasses and provide biocompatible microenvironment for alcohol dehydrogenase. Such biosensor combined enzymatic selectivity with the sensitivity of ECL detection for quantification of enzyme substrate and it was much simpler than previous double-layer design. The detection limit was 9.3 × 10⁻⁶ M for alcohol (S/N = 3) with a linear range from 2.79 × 10⁻⁵ to 5.78 × 10⁻² M. With ECL detection, the biosensor exhibited wide linear range, high sensitivity and good stability.     

Highly sensitive luminol electrochemiluminescence immunosensor based on ZnO nanoparticles and glucose oxidase decorated graphene for cancer biomarker detection

In this work, we reported a sandwiched luminol electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor using ZnO nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and glucose oxidase (GOD) decorated graphene as labels and in situ generated hydrogen peroxide as coreactant. In order to construct the base of the immunosensor, a hybrid architecture of Au nanoparticles and graphene by reduction of HAuCl₄ and graphene oxide (GO) with ascorbic acid was prepared. The resulted hybrid architecture modified electrode provided an excellent platform for immobilization of antibody with good bioactivity and stability. Then, ZnONPs and GOD functionalized graphene labeled secondary antibody was designed for fabricating a novel sandwiched ECL immunosensor. Enhanced sensitivity was obtained by in situ generating hydrogen peroxide with glucose oxidase and the catalysis of ZnONPs to the ECL reaction of luminol–H₂O₂ system. The as-prepared ECL immunosensor exhibited excellent analytical property for the detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the range from 10 pg mL⁻¹ to 80 ng mL⁻¹ and with a detection limit of 3.3 pg mL⁻¹ (S N⁻¹ = 3). The amplification strategy performed good promise for clinical application of screening of cancer biomarkers.     

Determination of β-blockers in pharmaceutical preparations and human urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) electrogenerated chemiluminescence detection

A highly selective and sensitive detection method based on tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) [Ru(bpy)₃²⁺] electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) has been developed for the quantitative determination of β-blockers in both pharmaceutical preparations and human urine samples. The ECL emission is based on the reaction between electro-oxidized Ru(bpy)₃³⁺ and the secondary amino groups on the β-blockers. The ECL intensities for the β-blockers were strongly dependent on the pH at which the ECL detections were conducted, with the maximum intensities being obtained at pH 9.0. Under the optimal condition, the detection limit for atenolol and metoprolol were almost 0.5 μM (50 pmol) and 0.08 μM (8 pmol), respectively, with S/N of 3 and a linear working range that extends four orders of magnitude with relative standard deviations below 5% for 10 replicate injected samples. The concentrations of atenolol and metoprolol were determined in pharmaceutical preparations using flow injection analysis with Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ ECL detection based on standard addition method. The determined values by the present method showed acceptable agreement with the stated values by manufacturers. The determination of the five β-blockers in human urine samples was performed using HPLC-Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ ECL detection. The resulting chromatogram was much simpler than that obtained with HPLC-UV absorbance detection.     

A Solid‐State Electrochemiluminescence Immunosensor Based on MWCNTs‐Nafion and Ru(bpy)32+/Nano‐Pt Nanocomposites for Detection of α‐Fetoprotein

A approach was successfully employed for constructing a solid‐state electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor by layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)‐Nafion composite film, Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/nano‐Pt aggregates (Ru‐PtNPs) and Pt nanoparticles (PtNPs). The influence of Pt nanoparticles on the ECL intensity was quantitatively evaluated by calculating the electroactive surface area of different electrodes with or without PtNPs to immobilize Ru(bpy)₃²⁺. The principle of ECL detection for target α‐fetoprotein antigen (AFP) was based on the increment of resistance after immunoreaction, which led to a decrease in ECL intensity. The linear response range was 0.01–10 ng mL^?1 with the detection limit of 3.3 pg mL^?1. The immunosensor exhibited advantages of simple preparation and operation, high sensitivity and good selectivity.     

Solid-state electrochemiluminescence sensor based on the Nafion/poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) composite film

An effective electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on Nafion/poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) composite film-modified ITO electrode was developed. The Nafion/PSS/Ru composite film was characterized by atomic force microscopy, UV-vis absorbance spectroscopy and electrochemical experiments. The Nafion/PSS composite film could effectively immobilize tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺) via ion-exchange and electrostatic interaction. The ECL behavior of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ immobilized in Nafion/PSS composite film was investigated using tripropylamine (TPA) as an analyte. The detection limit (S/N = 3) for TPA at the Nafion/PSS/Ru composite-modified electrode was estimated to be 3.0 nM, which is 3 orders of magnitude lower than that obtained at the Nafion/Ru modified electrode. The Nafion/PSS/Ru composite film-modified indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode also exhibited good ECL stability. In addition, this kind of immobilization approach was simple, effective, and timesaving.