Potential-Resolved Electrochemiluminescence and Its Application in Disease Biomarker Detection

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is a chemiluminescence phenomenon triggered by electrochemical reactions at the electrode surface, which has gradually become a high-sensitivity detection technology due to its low background, simple instrumentation, and high sensitivity. Therein, potential-resolved ECL refers to the generation of two or more ECL signals with distinct potentials and wavelengths during an electrochemical process. This unique capability enables simultaneous multi-signal outputs, making potential-resolved ECL particularly promising for self-calibration and multiplexed detection strategies. In this review, we focus on two critical aspects: on the one hand, the advancement of traditional ECL luminophores and potential-resolved ECL systems was reviewed, which were classified, respectively, into three categories to be introduced in detail (inorganic, organic and nanomaterial-based ECL luminophores or potential-resolved ECL of metal-organic complexes, layer-by-layer-modified electrodes, and nanomaterials). On the other hand, we summarized ECL detection strategies based on potential-resolved ECL systems and the application of these protocols in disease biomarker detection, which results in two categories (self-calibration strategies and multi-target strategies) for discussion. In this work, we aim to inspire investigators to explore novel ECL luminophores and design detection strategies with high performance, which could provide strong support for precision medicine, personalized assessment, portable medical devices, and the digital transformation of healthcare.