Coordination-induced electrochemiluminescence sensor based on tetraphenylethylene-functionalized Zr-MOF for detection of CA15–3

CA15–3 serves as a tumor marker for breast cancer, and its sensitive detection is crucial for monitoring the disease and managing its treatment. In this study, an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor for the detection of CA15–3 was prepared by using zirconium metal-organic frameworks (Zr-TCBPE) as an ECL emitter and Pt and Pb nanoparticles grown on graphene (rGO-PtPd) as substrate materials. The formation of a ligand bond between the 1,1,2,2-tetra(4-carboxylbiphenyl) ethylene (H 4 TCBPE) and Zr restricted the intramolecular motion of H 4 TCBPE, thereby suppressing nonradiative transitions and triggering a strong coordination-induced ECL enhancement effect. Simultaneous low-potential oxidation using N 2 H 4 as a co-reactant further significantly enhanced the ECL intensity. This method exhibited a wide detection range of 0.1 mU/mL to 500 U/mL, with a detection limit of 0.026 mU/mL. It demonstrated high accuracy and satisfactory reproducibility, indicating that the coordination-induced ECL sensing approach was highly promising for the analysis of disease biomarkers.