Co-reaction accelerators for electrochemiluminescence: from fundamental mechanisms to advanced biosensing
5 affiliations
- 1Hunan Key Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Hunan Normal University Changsha Hunan 410013 China
- 2Molecular Science and Biomedicine Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Material Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University Changsha Hunan 410082 China
- 3Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Western Australia Perth Western Australia 6009 Australia
- 4The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences Hangzhou Zhejiang 310022 China
- 5Institute of Molecular Medicine, Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai 200240 China
Abstract
Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is a sensitive analytical technique, which converts electrochemical energy into electromagnetic radiation. With its high sensitivity, low background noise, and excellent controllability, ECL demonstrates significant application potential in fields such as bioanalysis, environmental monitoring, and food safety. However, traditional co-reactant-based ECL systems often suffer from low reaction efficiency and require relatively high concentrations of co-reactants to achieve satisfactory luminescence performance. The introduction of co-reaction accelerators (CRAs) offers an innovative strategy for constructing efficient and stable ECL systems by promoting the generation and transformation of reactive co-reactant intermediates. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in CRAs. First, based on material composition, CRAs are categorized into three major categories: inorganic CRAs, bio-organic CRAs, and multifunctional CRAs. The fundamental principles of ECL and the underlying mechanisms of CRA-mediated signal enhancement are then discussed. We also summarize recent achievements of CRA-based ECL sensing platforms in detecting disease biomarkers and environmental pollutants, as well as in food safety applications. Finally, we discuss current challenges in this field and outline future development directions, aiming to provide valuable insights for the rational design of next-generation high-performance ECL analytical technologies.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026coreaction,
title = {{Co-reaction accelerators for electrochemiluminescence: from fundamental mechanisms to advanced biosensing}},
author = {Jingxian Li and Dan Yang and Ren Cai and Weihong Tan},
journal = {Chemical Science},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1039/d6sc05426a},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc05426a},
note = {CC BY 3.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Co-reaction accelerators for electrochemiluminescence: from fundamental mechanisms to advanced biosensing
AU - Jingxian Li
AU - Dan Yang
AU - Ren Cai
AU - Weihong Tan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/21
JO - Chemical Science
DO - 10.1039/d6sc05426a
UR - https://doi.org/10.1039/d6sc05426a
AB - Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is a sensitive analytical technique, which converts electrochemical energy into electromagnetic radiation. With its high sensitivity, low background noise, and excellent controllability, ECL demonstrates significant application potential in fields such as bioanalysis, environmental monitoring, and food safety. However, traditional co-reactant-based ECL systems often suffer from low reaction efficiency and require relatively high concentrations of co-reactants to achieve satisfactory luminescence performance. The introduction of co-reaction accelerators (CRAs) offers an innovative strategy for constructing efficient and stable ECL systems by promoting the generation and transformation of reactive co-reactant intermediates. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in CRAs. First, based on material composition, CRAs are categorized into three major categories: inorganic CRAs, bio-organic CRAs, and multifunctional CRAs. The fundamental principles of ECL and the underlying mechanisms of CRA-mediated signal enhancement are then discussed. We also summarize recent achievements of CRA-based ECL sensing platforms in detecting disease biomarkers and environmental pollutants, as well as in food safety applications. Finally, we discuss current challenges in this field and outline future development directions, aiming to provide valuable insights for the rational design of next-generation high-performance ECL analytical technologies.
SN - 2041-6520
SN - 2041-6539
ER -