Red-shifted electrochemiluminescence of CdTe nanocrystals via Co2+-Doping and its spectral sensing application in near-infrared region

Novel optical labels for biosensing in near-infrared (NIR) region (especially between 800 and 900 nm) are arousing much attention for higher penetrating capability, less scattering and lowered autofluorescent background. Herein, a water-soluble electrochemiluminophore with effective electrochemiluminescence (ECL) around 815 nm is developed via doping dual-stabilizers-capped CdTe nanocrystals (NCs) with Co 2+ species in a growth-doping way. The Co 2+ -doped CdTe NCs not only can preserve the highly-passivated surface states of dual-stabilizers-capped CdTe NCs, but also exhibit efficient red-shifted photoluminescence (PL) and ECL into the promising optical NIR window of 800–900 nm. A spectrum-based ultrasensitive NIR ECL immunosensor is consequently fabricated with the Co 2+ -doped CdTe NCs as tags for the first time, which can selectively and sensitively determine human carcinoembryonic antigen with a wide linearity range from 1 fg/mL to 10 pg/mL and a low limit of detection at 0.2 fg/mL (S/N = 3). This work opens a way to screen novel NIR electrochemiluminophore as well as to modulate the ECL performance of NCs via surface doping and engineering.