An electrochemiluminescence resonance energy aptasensor based on Ag3PO4-UiO-66 for ultrasensitive detection of diethylstilbestrol

A highly efficient electrochemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (ECL-RET) aptasensor was constructed for ultrasensitive detection of diethylstilbestrol (DES). The composite composed of silver orthophosphate and zirconium-based metal–organic frameworks (Ag 3 PO 4 -UiO-66) was prepared as a sensing platform for aptasensor incubation. Ag 3 PO 4 , a novel ECL donor, whose emission could be obviously enhanced through loading on UiO-66. Particularly, the composite of Ag 3 PO 4 -UiO-66 could minimize the aggregation of Ag 3 PO 4 , which provided a novel possibility for the construction of high ECL efficiency sensors. UiO-66 presented ultrahigh surface area to improve the loading capacity of Ag 3 PO 4 and DES-specific aptamer. Notably, Ag 3 PO 4 with superb catalytic properties could immobilize DES aptamer via Ag–NH 2 bond and further ensured the distance between the ECL donor and the energy receptor. To design a novel ECL-RET system, GO nanosheets were synthesized as a suitable ECL acceptor which could be fixed through electrostatic adsorption. Owing to the superior spectral overlap, GO could significantly quench the ECL emission of Ag 3 PO 4 . Under the optimal conditions, the constructed ECL-RET aptasensor showed a satisfactory response to DES in a linear range of 1.0 × 10 −14  ∼ 1.0 × 10 −8 M and the detection limit was 7.2 × 10 −15 M (S/N = 3). This paper not only developed a novel approach for environmental water quality monitoring but also offered more opportunities for building highly sensitive ECL-RET aptasensors.