Enhanced Sensitivity of the Tris(Bipyridine)Ruthenium(II) Chloride Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence Sensor with Porous Silica Nanoparticles

Mass transfer in electrogenerated chemiluminescence affects the sensitivity of sensors involving this technique. Herein, the characteristics of the porous Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/silica nanoparticles were investigated by transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, and electrogenerated chemiluminescence. The results showed that the pores inside the porous nanoparticles provided efficient mass transfer, resulting in significant enhancement of electrogenerated chemiluminescence. Consequently, a novel electrogenerated chemiluminescence sensor was developed and is reported herein. The sensitivity for tripropylamine was more than one order of magnitude higher compared to previously reported similar sensors, with a limit of detection of 3.3 × 10^?12 moles per liter.