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.