Cyclic cataluminescence method enabled by a heterogeneous electron allocator for multiple-aldehyde detection in tea

Cyclic cataluminescence (CCTL) is an emerging strategy that extends the principles of cataluminescence (CTL). The catalyst constitutes a critical component in CTL sensing systems. Currently, the development of innovative sensing systems and the elucidation of sensing mechanisms to enhance CTL remain significant challenges. Herein, we designed a heterogeneous electron allocator catalyst and a circulating flow system-assisted CTL for enhancing sensitivity and response speed. MgO/Y₂O₃ heterogeneous catalysts were employed as electron allocators and decorated on CNTs, and the resulting MgO/Y₂O₃/CNT catalyst was coupled with the CCTL method for the catalytic detection of multiple aldehydes. By fitting the variation of the peak intensity (I_n) of CCTL with time (t), the characteristic attenuation coefficient (k) value was calculated, and the k value could be used for qualitative analysis. The comprehensive k values of aldehydes contained characteristic information of tea. The k values of 61 tea samples were obtained by the CCTL method, and the k values of different tea species and origins were different from 2.0 to 41. Moreover, linear discriminant analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to further process the CCTL data. This research provided a new perspective on CTL through designing a heterogeneous electron allocator catalyst and a circulating flow system.