In Situ Formed Catalytic Interface for Boosting Chemiluminescence

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Chemiluminescence (CL) emission intensity is often limited by inefficient reactant interaction at the catalytic interface.
• Developing interfaces that preferentially attract reactants is crucial for amplifying CL signals.
• Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation is key for many CL reactions, but often requires optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel catalytic interface for enhanced chemiluminescence (CL) emission.
• To investigate the role of flower-like cobalt hydroxide (f-Co(OH)₂) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in boosting ROS generation.
• To establish a sensitive platform for analyte detection based on the developed CL system.

Main Methods:

• In situ synthesis of hierarchical, porous f-Co(OH)₂ in the presence of BSA and Co²⁺.
• Utilizing the oxidase-like catalysis of f-Co(OH)₂ to enhance ROS production from dissolved O₂.
• Leveraging BSA as capping ligands to enrich interface functionality and interact with luminol for CL amplification.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 100-fold enhancement in CL emission compared to traditional luminol-Co²⁺ or luminol-BSA systems.
• Demonstrated the versatility of the catalytic amplification mechanism across various proteins (lysozyme, protamine, thrombin, papain).
• Constructed a sensitive sensing platform for ascorbic acid determination based on CL quenching.

Conclusions:

• The developed f-Co(OH)₂/BSA interface provides an effective "all-in-one" strategy for amplifying CL emission.
• The hierarchical and porous structure, combined with BSA's functionality, significantly boosts ROS generation and CL intensity.
• The platform shows promise for sensitive and versatile analytical applications, particularly in detecting species like ascorbic acid.