METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR NANOPARTICLE ELECTROGENERATED CHEMILUMINESCENCE AMPLIFICATION

• US 20110120891A1
• Filed: 04/07/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System)
• Original Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System)
• Inventors: Xiao, Xiaoying, Bard, Allen J., Fan, Fu-Ren F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,586,378 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 205/794.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/10 Investigating individual particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/14 Optical investigation techniques, e.g. flow cytometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/76 Chemiluminescence; Bioluminescence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2458/30 Electrochemically active labels
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/26 by investigating electrochemical variables; by using electrolysis or electrophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/542 with steric inhibition or signal modification, e.g. fluorescent quenching
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54373 involving physiochemical end-point determination, e.g. wave-guides, FETS, gratings

Abstract

Methods, compositions and kits for analyzing a chemical analyte using an electrochemical cell connected to a measuring apparatus are provided. The electrochemical cell contains a solution having one or more conductive or redox active NPs (nanoparticles), one or more chemical analytes, and an indicator. In addition, the electrochemical cell contains one or more electrodes in communication with the solution. One or more catalytic ECL properties are generated by the interaction of the one or more conductive or redox active NPs and the liquid sample and measured at the one or more electrodes or with an optical detection system.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A method of analyzing a sample comprising:

contacting a liquid sample with a working electrode;

wherein the liquid sample comprises a plurality of electrogenerated chemiluminescent (ECL) moieties and one or more conductive or redox active nanoparticles; and

detecting one or more transient optical properties resulting from interaction of the one or more nanoparticles and the sample at the working electrode.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more transient optical properties comprise transient optical properties resulting from redox reactions of the ECL moieties, with or without coreactants, catalyzed by the one or more nanoparticles.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the working electrode comprises ITO, Pt, Ir, Rh, Au, carbon, Ni or a combination thereof.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more conductive or redox active nanoparticles comprise platinum nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, copper nanoparticles, palladium nanoparticles, carbon nanoparticles, or a combination thereof.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more nanoparticles have a largest dimension of no more than about 50 nm.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more conductive or redox active nanoparticles comprise platinum nanoparticles, and the working electrode is an indium tin oxide (ITO) or gold working electrode.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the ECL moieties comprise an electrochemiluminescent polydendate metal complex.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the polydendate metal complex comprises heteroaromatic polydentate ligands and a metal chosen from ruthenium, osmium, rhenium, cerium, europium, terbium and ytterbium.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the polydendate metal complex comprises ruthenium and at least one polydentate ligand selected from bipyridyl, substituted bipyridyl, 1,10-phenanthroline and/or substituted 1,10-phenanthroline.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein the sample further comprises an ECL coreactant.

34. The method of claim 24, wherein the working electrode surface is at a potential which does not produce significant electrogenerated chemiluminescent in the absence of the one or more nanoparticles.

35. The method of claim 24, wherein the one or more transient optical properties comprises measuring ECL intensity vs. time transients catalyzed by individual nanoparticles.

36. The method of claim 24, wherein the working electrode comprises Pt, Au, Ir, Rh, carbon or a combination thereof.

37. A method of analyzing a sample comprising:

contacting a liquid sample with a working electrode, wherein the liquid sample comprises a plurality of electrogenerated chemiluminescent (ECL) moieties and one or more conductive or redox active nanoparticles; and

detecting one or more electrochemical and/or optical properties resulting from interaction of the one or more nanoparticles and the sample at the working electrode, wherein the ECL moieties comprise an electrochemiluminescent polydendate metal complex.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the one or more electrochemical and/or optical properties comprise electrogenerated chemiluminescence from redox reactions of the ECL moieties catalyzed by the one or more nanoparticles.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the one or more electrochemical and/or optical properties are transient optical properties.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein the working electrode is an indium tin oxide electrode, the nanoparticles are platinum nanoparticles, and the liquid sample comprises trialkyl amine and Ru(bpy)₃²⁺.

41. A method of signal amplification comprising:

combining one or more conductive or redox active nanoparticles and a liquid sample in a chamber having one or more electrodes; and

measuring one or more electrochemical and/or optical properties generated by the interaction of the one or more conductive or redox active nanoparticles and the liquid sample at an electrode, wherein the sample comprises a plurality of electrogenerated chemiluminescent (ECL) moieties, which include an electrochemiluminescent polydendate metal complex.

42. A system for analyzing a chemical analyte comprising:

a nanoscale electrochemical device, which includes one or more ultramicroelectrodes positioned to communicate with a liquid sample housed within a sample chamber; and

one or more detectors capable of detecting the one or more electrocatalytic current or ECL properties, wherein the liquid sample comprises one or more conductive or redox active nanoparticles and a plurality of electrogenerated chemiluminescent (ECL) moieties.