Aggregation-induced electrochemiluminescence of an indium-based metal–organic framework and resonance energy transfer strategy for the sensitive detection of β2-microglobulin

Abstract

This study aimed to construct a novel aggregation-induced electrochemiluminescence (AIECL) system with an indium-based metal–organic framework (In-MOF) as a new luminophore and K2S2O8 as a co-reactant. In the constructed electrochemiluminescence (ECL) system, In-MOF served not only as a novel luminophore but also as a co-reaction accelerator. The In-MOF produced strong cathodic ECL emission over the wavelength range of 425–600 nm. The aggregation-caused quenching effect was overcome by altering the π-π stacking structure of 9,10-di(p-carboxyphenyl)anthracene (DPA) aggregates through coordination with metal ions. The In-MOF exhibited efficient ECL performance and better stability than the DPA ligand. Then, a novel quenched sensor based on the quenching effect of CeO2@PDA on the In-MOF ECL emission was fabricated for detecting β2-microglobulin (β2M). The immunosensor demonstrated an excellent linear relationship with a wide linear range (10 fg/mL – 200 ng/mL) and a low detection limit (2.9 fg/mL, S/N = 3) under optimized experimental conditions. The proposed biosensor had high sensitivity, reasonable specificity, high stability, and reproducibility, thus positively affecting the clinical application of sensing analysis.