Facial Preparation of Cyclometalated Iridium (III) Nanowires as Highly Efficient Electrochemiluminescence Luminophores for Biosensing

In this study, highly efficient ECL luminophores composed of iridium complex-based nanowires (Ir-NCDs) were synthesized via covalently linking bis(2-phenylpyridine)-(4-carboxypropyl-2,2'-bipyridyl) iridium(III) hexafluorophosphate with nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCDs). The ECL intensity of the nanowires showed a five-fold increase in ECL intensity compared with the iridium complex monomer under the same experimental conditions. A label-free ECL biosensing platform based on Ir-NCDs was established for (SE) detection. The ECL signal was quenched linearly in the range of 10 -10 CFU/mL for SE with a detection limit of 10 CFU/mL. Moreover, the relative standard deviations (RSD) of the stability within and between batches were 0.98% and 3.9%, respectively. In addition, the proposed sensor showed high sensitivity, selectivity and stability towards SE in sheep feces samples with satisfactory results. In summary, the excellent ECL efficiency of Ir-NCDs demonstrates the prospects for Ir(III) complexes in bioanalytical applications.