Three kinds of porphyrin dots as near-infrared electrochemiluminescence luminophores: Facile synthesis and biosensing

Exploring novel near-infrared (NIR) luminophore with highly efficient and benign is strongly anticipated for electrochemiluminescence (ECL) evolution. Here, three kinds of porphyrin dots including 5,10,15,20-tetrakis (4carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP) dots, ZnTCPP dots and TCPP-based metal organic framework (pMOF) dots have been subtly synthesized for the first time by a universal straightforward exfoliation of bulk porphyrin aggregates or pMOF. These as-designed porphyrin dots perform excellent annihilation ECL activity, also exhibit stable and robust cathodic or anodic NIR ECL properties with different coreactants (potassium peroxydisulfate, hydrogen peroxide or tri-n-propylamine) in aqueous phase. Especially, the ECL efficiency of three kinds of porphyrin dots in S2O82- cathodic system are 56, 44, 39-fold higher than that of the Ru(bpy)32+ standard, respectively. As a new type of ECL luminophores, TCPP dots coupled with a lead ion-dependent DNAzyme and hybridization chain reaction cycle amplification are used to fabricate a label free "signal-on" ECL biosensor for ultrasensitive detection of Pb2+. A dynamic range from 10 pmol center dot L-1 to 1 mu mol center dot L- 1 with a low limit of detection (1.2 pmol center dot L-1) is obtained. These porphyrin dots provide evidence for the use of organics-based dots as new NIR ECL luminophores for fundamental ECL research, and highlight the significance of small-sized organic nanomaterials in ECL sensing applications.