An ultrasensitive luminol cathodic electrochemiluminescence probe with highly porous Pt on ionic liquid functionalized graphene film as platform for carcinoembryonic antigen sensing

Au/PANI@PtCu-based electrochemical immunosensor for ultrasensitive determination of pro-gastrin-releasing peptide

An ultrasensitive sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor for pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) detection was constructed based on PtCu nanodendrites functionalized Au/polyaniline nanospheres (Au/PANI@PtCu). The prepared Au/PANI@PtCu nanocomposites not only possessed excellent electro-catalytic activity of H2O2 reduction due to the synergistic effect between the Au/PANI and PtCu NDs but also provided large specific surface area for detection of antibodies (Ab2) immobilization. In addition, Au nanoparticles encapsulated multi-wall carbon nanotubes (AuNPs@MWCNTs) were also applied to modify the glassy carbon electrode interface for loading numerous capture antibodies (Ab1). In the presence of target ProGRP, a sandwich-type electrochemical immunosensor showed a strong current response from the electro-catalysis of Au/PANI@PtCu toward H2O2 reduction. Benefiting from the exceptional electro-catalytic performance of Au/PANI@PtCu and the high conductivity of AuNPs@MWCNTs, the sandwich-type immunoassay exhibited remarkable sensitivity in detection. The linear range extended from 100 fg/mL to 10 ng/mL, while achieving an impressively low limit of detection of 77.62 fg/mL.

Competitive ECL immunosensor for ultrasensitive 17β-estradiol detection based on synergistic promotion strategy using CdSe-ZnSe nanocomposites

A novel competitive ECL immunosensor for detection of 17β-Estradiol (E2) has been fabricated successfully. CdSe-ZnSe nanocomposites (CdSe-ZnSe NCs) with high catalytic properties, large surface area and good conductivity were used synergistically as the ECL nanocarriers of Pt nanoparticles (PtNPs). The ECL intensity of CdSe-ZnSe NCs increased and stabilized with luminol-PtNPs (luminol-PtNPs@CdSe-ZnSe NCs) because of electron transfer. To achieve the successful assembling of competitive ultrasensitive ECL immunosensor with high sensitivity and synergistic effect, Ag@TiO2 core-shell was introduced as label. Ag@TiO2 acted as a signal amplifier and also exhibited the high catalytic activity towards H2O2. This firmly anchored the E2 Antigen with covalent bond and converted the longer wavelength radiations to shorter wavelength. Under optimized conditions, our proposed strategy quantify the selective and reliable analysis of E2 with detection limit of 2.51 fg/mL (S/N = 3) within the linear range of 0.0001-30 ng/mL. The assembled synergistic strategy-based ECL immunosensor manifested the promising sensitivity, selectability along with high level of repeatability. Thus, the fabricated ECL immunosensor has potential valuable application for E2 detection along with many other environmental pollutants.

Ionic liquids revolutionizing biomedicine: recent advances and emerging opportunities

Ionic liquids (ILs), due to their inherent structural tunability, outstanding miscibility behavior, and excellent electrochemical properties, have attracted significant research attention in the biomedical field. As the application of ILs in biomedicine is a rapidly emerging field, there is still a need for systematic analyses and summaries to further advance their development. This review presents a comprehensive survey on the utilization of ILs in the biomedical field. It specifically emphasizes the diverse structures and properties of ILs with their relevance in various biomedical applications. Subsequently, we summarize the mechanisms of ILs as potential drug candidates, exploring their effects on various organisms ranging from cell membranes to organelles, proteins, and nucleic acids. Furthermore, the application of ILs as extractants and catalysts in pharmaceutical engineering is introduced. In addition, we thoroughly review and analyze the applications of ILs in disease diagnosis and delivery systems. By offering an extensive analysis of recent research, our objective is to inspire new ideas and pathways for the design of innovative biomedical technologies based on ILs.

Novel Ultralow-Potential Electrochemiluminescence Aptasensor for the Highly Sensitive Detection of Zearalenone Using a Resonance Energy Transfer System

An ultralow-potential electrochemiluminescence (ECL) aptasensor has been designed for zearalenone (ZEN) assay based on a resonance energy transfer (RET) system with SnS2 QDs/g-C3N4 as a novel luminophore and CuO/NH2-UiO-66 as a dual-quencher. SnS2 QDs were loaded onto g-C3N4 nanosheets and enhanced the ECL luminescence via strong synergistic effects under an ultralow potential. The UV-vis absorption spectrum of CuO/NH2-UiO-66 exhibits considerable overlap with the ECL emission spectrum of SnS2 QDs/g-C3N4, an important consideration for the RET process. In order to stimulate RET, the ZEN aptamer and complementary DNA are introduced for conjugation between the donor and the acceptor. With the binding interaction between ZEN by its aptamer, CuO/NH2-UiO-66 is removed from the electrode surface, resulting in the inhibition of the RET system and an increase in the ECL signal. Under optimal conditions, the as-prepared aptasensor quantified ZEN from 0.5 μg·mL-1 to 0.1 fg·mL-1 with a low limit of detection of 0.085 fg·mL-1, and it exhibited good stability, excellent specificity, high reproducibility, and desirable practicality. The sensing strategy provides a method for mycotoxins assay to monitor food safety.

Versatile MXene composite probe-mediated homogeneous electrochemiluminescence biosensor with integrated signal transduction and near-infrared modulation strategy for concanavalin A detection

Based on the highly specific interaction between concanavalin A (Con A) and glucose (Glu), a competitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor was constructed for ultrasensitive detection of Con A. Nanocomposites with excellent electrocatalytic and photothermal properties were obtained by covalently bonding zinc oxide quantum dots (ZnO QDs) to vanadium carbide MXene (V2C MXene) surfaces. The modification of ZnO QDs hinders the aggregation of V2C MXene and increases the catalytic activity of oxygen reduction reaction, thus amplifying the luminol cathodic emission. In addition, the excellent photothermal performance of the V2C MXene-ZnO QDs can convert light energy into heat energy under the irradiation of 808 nm near infrared laser, thus increasing the temperature of the reaction system and accelerating the electron transfer process to realize the synergistic amplified homogeneous ECL system. This innovative work not only enriches the fundamental research on multifunctional MXene nanomaterials for biosensing, but also provides an effective strategy for ECL signal amplification.

Ratiometric Electrochemiluminescence Sensing of Carcinoembryonic Antigen Based on Luminol

Ratiometric electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensors can efficiently remove environmental interference to attain precise detection. Nonetheless, two eligible luminophores or coreactants were usually needed, increasing the complexity and restricting their practical application. In this study, a single luminophore of luminol with a single coreactant of H₂O₂ was employed to construct a dual-potential ratiometric ECL sensor for the detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The produced palladium nanoclusters (Pd NCs) employing a DNA duplex as a template could not only stimulate luminol to produce cathodic ECL (I_cathodic) but also quench its anodic ECL (I_anodic). During the detection process, CEA could damage the double-stranded structure and reduce the Pd NCs' amount, triggering a significant decrease in the ratio of I_cathodic to I_anodic (I_cathodic/I_anodic) and thereby achieving sensitive CEA's detection. Furthermore, the I_cathodic/I_anodic was independent of the H₂O₂ concentration, which avoided a prejudicial effect from H₂O₂ decomposition and considerably enhanced the detection's reliability. The developed ratiometric ECL sensor demonstrated a sensitive detection toward CEA with a wide linear range from 100 ag/mL to 10 ng/mL and a detection limit of 87.1 ag/mL (S/N = 3). In conclusion, this study offers a new idea for constructing ratiometric ECL sensors based on a single luminophore and technical support for cancer's early diagnosis.

Single-Atom Iron Enables Strong Low-Triggering-Potential Luminol Cathodic Electrochemiluminescence

The conventional cathodic electrochemiluminescence (ECL) always requires a more negative potential to trigger strong emission, which inevitably damages the bioactivity of targets and decreases the sensitivity and specificity. In this work, iron single-atom catalysts (Fe-N-C SACs) were employed as an efficient co-reaction accelerator for the first time to achieve the impressively cathodic emission of a luminol-H₂O₂ ECL system at an ultralow potential. Benefiting from the distinct electronic structure, Fe-N-C SACs exhibit remarkable properties for the activation of H₂O₂ to produce massive reactive oxygen species (ROS) under a negative scanning potential from 0 to -0.2 V. The ROS can oxidize the luminol anions into luminol anion radicals, avoiding the tedious electrochemical oxidation process of luminol. Then, the in situ-formed luminol anion radicals will directly react with ROS for the strong ECL emission. As a proof of concept, sensitive detection of the carcinoembryonic antigen was realized by glucose oxidase-mediated ECL immunoassay, shedding light on the superiority of SACs to construct efficient cathodic ECL systems with low triggering potential.

Ag-O-Co Interface Modulation-Amplified Luminol Cathodic Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence

It remains a great challenge to develop effective strategies for improving the weak cathodic electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of the luminol-dissolved O₂ system. Interface modulation between metal and supports is an attractive strategy to improve oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. Therefore, the design of electrocatalysts via interface modulation would provide new opportunities for the ECL amplification involving reactive oxygen species (ROSs). Herein, we have fabricated an Ag single-atom catalyst with an oxygen-bridged interface (Ag-O-Co) through the electrodeposition of Ag on a CoAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) modified indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode (Ag^s/LDH/ITO). Interestingly, it was found that the cathodic ECL intensity of the luminol-dissolved O₂ system at the Ag^s/LDH/ITO electrode was extraordinarily enhanced in comparison with those at bare ITO and other Ag nanoparticle-based electrodes. The enhanced ECL performances of the Ag^s/LDH/ITO electrode were attributed to the increasing amounts of ROSs by electrocatalytic ORR in the Ag-O-Co interface. The electron redistribution of Ag and Co bimetallic sites could accelerate electron transfer, promote the adsorption of O₂, and sufficiently activate O₂ through a four-electron reaction pathway. Finally, the luminol cathodic ECL intensity was greatly improved. Our findings can provide inspiration for revealing the interface effects between metal and supports, and open up a new avenue to improve the luminol cathodic ECL.

Dual-mode sensing of biomarkers based on nano 3D Cu-Flo.@AuNPs-electrocatalyzed oxidation of glucose inducing in-situ H2O2-generation system

A bimodal 3D-electrochemiluminescence (ECL) analysis method was developed, which integrated simpleness, label-free, high-throughput and real time detection together. Firstly, a novel 3D copper-based nanosheet micro-material (Cu-Flo. NMs) coupled with gold nanoparticles/Cysteine (Cu-Flo.@AuNPs-Cys) was prepared to use as the versatile label for both colorimetric and ECL techniques. The 3D-Cu-Flo.@AuNPs-Cys having glucose oxidase-like activity could catalyze glucose to produce H₂O₂ in situ, which was further found to be capable of exhibiting a 30.95-fold higher ECL-intensity for luminol than bare glassy carbon electrodes (GCE). Taking advantages of the 3D-Cu-Flo.@AuNPs-Cys above, a colorimetric and ECL-channel sensor (GCE/3D-Cu-Flo.@AuNPs-Cys) were constructed simultaneously for glucose detection. The fabricated sensor displayed a wide linear range (Glucose: 0.001-50 mmol L^-1, AFP: 2.25 × 10^-7-225 ng mL^-1), impressive low limit of detection (Glucose: 1.27 × 10^-7 mol L^-1, AFP: 1.92 × 10^-8 ng mL^-1, S/N = 3) and acceptable recovery (Glucose: 94% ∼ 104%, AFP: 96.04% ∼ 102.29%) in practical sample. Furthermore, the biosensor showed ultrafast (0.5 min) analysis efficiency, high stability for 6 cyclic potential scans and satisfactory reproducibility for 7 repeated tests. These results demonstrated the proposed 3D dual-modal ECL-biosensor for biomarkers detection had a great potential in clinical diagnostics, promoting the application in biomedical researching and POCT.

Functional Ionic Liquids Decorated Carbon Hybrid Nanomaterials for the Electrochemical Biosensors

Ionic liquids are gaining high attention due to their extremely unique physiochemical properties and are being utilized in numerous applications in the field of electrochemistry and bio-nanotechnology. The excellent ionic conductivity and the wide electrochemical window open a new avenue in the construction of electrochemical devices. On the other hand, carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene (GR), graphene oxide (GO), carbon dots (CDs), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs), are highly utilized in electrochemical applications. Since they have a large surface area, high conductivity, stability, and functionality, they are promising in biosensor applications. Nevertheless, the combination of ionic liquids (ILs) and carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) results in the functional ILs-CNMs hybrid nanocomposites with considerably improved surface chemistry and electrochemical properties. Moreover, the high functionality and biocompatibility of ILs favor the high loading of biomolecules on the electrode surface. They extremely enhance the sensitivity of the biosensor that reaches the ability of ultra-low detection limit. This review aims to provide the studies of the synthesis, properties, and bonding of functional ILs-CNMs. Further, their electrochemical sensors and biosensor applications for the detection of numerous analytes are also discussed.

A Dual Functional Self-Enhanced Electrochemiluminescent Nanohybrid for Label-Free MicroRNA Detection

The development of electrochemiluminescent (ECL) emitters with both intense ECL and excellent film-forming properties is highly desirable for biosensing applications. Herein, a facile one-pot preparation strategy was proposed for the synthesis of a self-enhanced ECL emitter by co-doping Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ and (diethylaminomethyl)triethoxysilane (DEAMTES) into an in situ-produced silica nanohybrid (DEAMTES@RuSiO₂). DEAMTES@RuSiO₂ not only possessed improved ECL properties but also exhibited outstanding film-forming ability, which are both critical for the construction of ECL biosensors. By coupling branched catalytic hairpin assembly with efficient signal amplification peculiarity, a label-free ECL biosensor was further constructed for the convenient and highly sensitive detection of miRNA-21. The as-fabricated ECL biosensor displayed a detection limit of 8.19 fM, much lower than those in previous reports for miRNA-21 and showed superior reliability for detecting miRNA-21-spiked human serum sample, demonstrating its potential for applications in miRNA-associated fundamental research and clinical diagnosis.

An "on-off" electrochemiluminescence immunosensor for PIVKA-II detection based on the dual quenching of CeO2-Au-g-C3N4 hybrids by Ag nanocubes-VB2

Herein, we report a novel dual-quenching electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor for detecting protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) based on ECL resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET). In this protocol, self-accelerated ECL hybrids of CeO₂ and Au nanoparticles functionalized g-C₃N₄ nanosheets (CeO₂-Au-g-C₃N₄) were prepared, which exhibited high ECL emission in the presence of S₂O₈^2- as a coreactant for "signal on" state. Concretely, CeO₂ with a reproducible redox couple of Ce³⁺ and Ce⁴⁺ could act as an efficient co-reaction accelerator to generate more oxidizing intermediate (SO₄^•-) to significantly self-promote the ECL emission of g-C₃N₄ NSs/S₂O₈^2- ECL system. Besides, Au nanoparticles not only accelerated electron transfer in the ECL process, but also provided massive active sites for biomolecules immobilization. The dual quenching labels of Ag nanocubes modified with vitamin B₂ (AgNCs-VB₂) were firstly proposed towards g-C₃N₄ NSs/S₂O₈^2- ECL system by ECL-RET, resulting in the remarkable ECL decrease for "signal off" state. Based on the sandwich immunoreaction, the "on-off" PIVKA-II ECL immunosensor gratifyingly possessed excellent detection sensitivity with the linear range of 0.4 pg mL^-1-10 ng mL^-1 and the low detection limit of 28.46 fg mL^-1 (S/N = 3). This presented strategy might provide a potential alternative tool for PIVKA-II detection in medical research and early clinical diagnostics of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Novel Luminescent Nanostructured Coordination Polymer: Facile Fabrication and Application in Electrochemiluminescence Biosensor for microRNA-141 Detection

A series of novel luminescent nanostructured coordination polymers (Ce-Ru-NCPs) with tunable morphologies have been successfully synthesized on a large scale at room temperature by a facile and rapid solution-phase method using Ce³⁺ and tris(4,4'-dicarboxylicacid-2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) dichloride (Ru(dcbpy)₃²⁺). Among them, the flowerlike Ce-Ru-NCP shows good cathodic electrochemiluminescence (ECL) characteristics. The ECL efficiency of the Ce-Ru-NCP/S₂O₈^2- system is about 2.34 times that of the classic tris(2,2'-bipyridyl) ruthenium(II) dichloride/S₂O₈^2- (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/S₂O₈^2-) system. Hence, we report a sensitive ECL biosensor for microRNA-141 (miRNA-141) detection based on the flowerlike Ce-Ru-NCP as a cathodic ECL luminophore and a bipedal three-dimensional (3D) DNA walking machine as a signal amplifier. Through the bipedal 3D DNA walking machine, trace targets can be converted to substantial secondary targets (marked with the quencher dopamine), and a significant quenching effect on the ECL signal is achieved. As a result, the proposed biosensor exhibits a relatively good sensitivity for miRNA-141 detection and shows a dynamic range from 1.0 × 10^-16 to 1.0 × 10^-6 mol·L^-1 with a limit of detection (LOD) of 33 amol·L^-1 (S/N = 3). The Ce-Ru-NCP with tunable morphologies and high ECL efficiency, intensity, and stability possesses potential applications in ECL analysis.

An Electrochemical Immunosensor for Sensitive Detection of the Tumor Marker Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) Based on Three-Dimensional Porous Nanoplatinum/Graphene

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is an important broad-spectrum tumor marker. The quantitative detection of a low concentration of CEA has important medical significance. In this study, three-dimensional porous graphene-oxide-supported platinum metal nanoparticles (3DPt/HGO) composites were prepared by a wet chemical method and modified on an electrode with enhanced conductivity, a large surface area, and good adsorption of immobilizing antibodies (Ab₁). Horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-functionalized Au nanoparticles were fabricated to label the secondary antibodies (Ab₂). The proposed immunosensor showed a good linear relationship in the range of 0.001–150 ng/mL for CEA and a detection limit of 0.0006 ng/mL. The immunosensor had high sensitivity, good stability and reproducibility, and has great application prospects for the clinical diagnosis of cancer.

Recent Trends in Electrochemical Sensors for Vital Biomedical Markers Using Hybrid Nanostructured Materials

This work provides a succinct insight into the recent developments in electrochemical quantification of vital biomedical markers using hybrid metallic composite nanostructures. After a brief introduction to the biomarkers, five types of crucial biomarkers, which require timely and periodical monitoring, are shortlisted, namely, cancer, cardiac, inflammatory, diabetic and renal biomarkers. This review emphasizes the usage and advantages of hybrid nanostructured materials as the recognition matrices toward the detection of vital biomarkers. Different transduction methods (fluorescence, electrophoresis, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, surface plasmon resonance, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy) reported for the biomarkers are discussed comprehensively to present an overview of the current research works. Recent advancements in the electrochemical (amperometric, voltammetric, and impedimetric) sensor systems constructed with metal nanoparticle-derived hybrid composite nanostructures toward the selective detection of chosen vital biomarkers are specifically analyzed. It describes the challenges involved and the strategies reported for the development of selective, sensitive, and disposable electrochemical biosensors with the details of fabrication, functionalization, and applications of hybrid metallic composite nanostructures.

A perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride and aniline-assembled supramolecular nanomaterial with multi-color electrochemiluminescence for a highly sensitive label-free immunoassay

A novel multi-color ECL nanomaterial assembled from 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) and aniline (An) was used for highly sensitive label-free CEA detection.

Coupling aptazyme and catalytic hairpin assembly for cascaded dual signal amplified electrochemiluminescence biosensing

Developing reliable and sensitive detection methods for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is vital for both clinical diagnosis and food safety. In this work, by coupling aptazyme- and catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA)-based signal amplification and electrochemiluminescence (ECL), an ultrasensitive biosensor for sensing ATP was fabricated using Ru(bpy)₃²⁺-doped silica nanoparticles (RuSiO₂) as ECL probes and a ferrocene-functionalized hairpin DNA (hairpin-Fc) as quencher. The aptazyme-triggered cleavage of the DNA substrate and the CHA reaction both led to the circular release of trigger DNA, resulting in a significant dual signal amplification, with unprecedented enhancement up to 940-fold. Moreover, the bioconjugation of the DNA substrate with Au@Fe₃O₄ facilitated the separation and purification of the released trigger DNA, and effectively reduced the background signal. As a result, the as-prepared ECL biosensor exhibited a much lower detection limit of 0.054 pM for ATP, compared to those in previous reports, and showed high reliability for ATP detection in both spiked serum samples and Staphylococcus aureus. This work offers a new perspective for designing nucleic acid-based signal amplification for detecting ATP in bacterial analysis and clinical diagnosis.

Perylene diimide as a cathodic electrochemiluminescence luminophore for immunoassays at low potentials

In the cathodic electrochemiluminescence (ECL) field, most reported luminophores produced ECL emission at high potentials (more than -1.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl), which was adverse for both fundamental studies and practical application. It was important to screen novel ECL luminophores and coreactants for the development of ECL. In this work, N,N'-dimethyl-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide (PDI-CH₃) is reported to produce ECL at -0.47 V using K₂S₂O₈ as a coreactant in an aqueous system. In addition, the ECL wavelength was 689 nm, which was interpreted with the emission of excited PDI-CH₃ dimers. Finally, this low-triggering-potential ECL system was used to construct sandwiched immunosensors to detect carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) with the potential range from 0 to -0.8 V. In this immunosensor, PDI-CH₃ and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) reduced by citrate were grafted onto graphite oxide (GO) to label secondary antibodies (Ab₂). This immunosensor could sensitively detect CEA with the linear response range between 1 fg mL^-1 and 1 μg mL^-1 and detection limit 0.29 fg mL^-1. In addition, this immunosensor showed good feasibility in various cancer serum samples.