Enhanced Chemiluminescence Induced by Natural Light-Driven MIL-100(Fe)/TiO₂ for Dopamine Detection

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Photocatalysis

Background:

• Luminol chemiluminescence (CL) is valuable for bioanalysis but limited by weak light emission and oxidant instability.
• Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a common oxidant, suffers from self-decomposition, affecting CL system reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce MIL-100(Fe)/TiO2 as a novel, natural light-driven photocatalyst for enhancing luminol CL.
• To develop a sensitive and selective method for dopamine (DA) determination using this enhanced CL system.
• To elucidate the chemiluminescence mechanism of the MIL-100(Fe)/TiO2-luminol system.

Main Methods:

• Utilized MIL-100(Fe)/TiO2 as a photocatalyst to enhance luminol CL under natural light.
• Investigated the chemiluminescence mechanism using spectroscopy (CL, UV-vis) and radical scavenging techniques.
• Developed a dopamine detection assay based on the CL quenching effect.

Main Results:

• MIL-100(Fe)/TiO2 significantly amplified luminol CL intensity by 100 times compared to the H2O2 system.
• The photocatalyst generates reactive oxygen species under natural light, directly triggering luminol CL.
• A sensitive dopamine assay was established with a linear range of 100 nM–1000 μM and a detection limit of 16.7 μM.

Conclusions:

• MIL-100(Fe)/TiO2 provides a stable and efficient enhancer for luminol CL, activated by mild natural light.
• This photoinduced amplification technology offers a promising, reagent-free approach for sensitive dopamine detection.
• The findings open new avenues for developing advanced chemiluminescence-based analytical systems.