Battery-triggered ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence detection on microfluidic paper-based immunodevice based on dual-signal amplification strategy

Dual-signal amplification strategy for ultrasensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) multiplexed immunoassay on microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (mu-PADs) was demonstrated. This dual-signal amplification technique was achieved by employing graphene oxide-chitosan/gold nanoparticles (GCA) immunosensing platform and [4,4'-(2,5-dimethoxy-1,4-phenylene)bis(ethyne-2,1-diyl) dibenzoic acid] (P-acid) functionalized nanoporous silver (P-acid/NPS) signal amplification label. For further low-cost and disposable applications, battery-triggered constant-potential ECL (+1.0V for P-acid label (vs. Ag/AgCl auxiliary electrode)) was applied on this paper-based immunodevice with the aid of a home-made voltage-tunable power device, allowing the traditional electrochemical workstation to be abandoned. We found that two tumor markers could be sequentially detected in the linear ranges of 0.003-20 and 0.001-10 ngmL(-1) with the detection limits down to 1.0 and 0.8 pgmL(-1), respectively, by simply reversing the connection mode on two working electrodes. The results exhibited excellent precision and high sensitivity of such immunoassay, and it also demonstrated that this battery-triggered ECL paper-based immunodevice could provide a rapid, simple and simultaneous multiplex immunoassay with high throughput, low-cost and low detection limits for point-of-care testing. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.