13 - Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence

Abstract

The chapter emphasizes on electrogenerated chemiluminescence. Electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) is the process where species can be generated at electrodes undergoing electron-transfer reactions to form excited states that emit light. ECL is a kind of luminescence and it can be produced by electrode reactions. It is a very powerful analytical technique and can be widely used in the areas of immunoassay, food and water testing, and biowarfare agent detection. Both ECL and chemiluminescence (CL) involve production of light by species that undergoes highly energetic electron-transfer reactions. Luminescence in CL can be initiated by mixing necessary reagents. It can be controlled by the careful manipulation of fluid flow. On the other hand, luminescence in ECL can be initiated and controlled by changing an electrode potential. The basic components of an ECL instrument include an electrical energy supply for the ECL reaction at an electrode within an electrochemical cell. It serves as an optical detector for the measurement of either the emitted light intensity or its spectroscopic response.