An electrochemiluminescence device powered by streaming potential for the detection of amines in flowing solution

The research and implementation of portable and low-cost analytical devices that possess high reproducibility and ease of operation is still a challenging task, and a growing field of importance, within the analytical research. Herein, we report the concept, design and optimization of a microfluidic device based on electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection that can be potentially operated without electricity for analytical purposes. The device functions exploiting the concept of streaming potential-driven bipolar electrochemistry, where a potential difference, generated from the flow of an electrolyte through a microchannel under the influence of a pressure gradient, is the driving force for redox reactions. To our purpose, we employ such a device to drive the ECL reaction of an organic chromophore deposited onto the electrode surface by simply flowing an electrolytic solution containing a coreactant into the microfluidic system, and we successively apply such device for the detection of amines in water. Our device shows high reproducibility and satisfactory detection limits for tri-n-propylamine, demonstrating an original, and up to now unexplored, concept of energy saving microfluidic systems with integrated ECL detection.