Construction of closed bipolar electrochemiluminescence sensor based on Co-MOF-derived Au/CoO-modified carbon cloth for uric acid detection

A closed bipolar electrode-based electrochemiluminescence (cBPE-ECL) sensor was developed for wireless uric acid (UA) detection. In the cBPE-ECL sensor design, a cobalt-based metal–organic framework (Co-MOF)-derived Au/CoO-modified carbon cloth (Au/CoO-C/CC) electrode served as a polarized anode for UA oxidation, where the generated faradaic current triggered the cathodic ECL of [Ru(bpy) 3 ] 2+ -[S 2 O 8 ] 2− at the polarized cathode electrode, enabling both quantitative and visual UA detection. The polarized anode was fabricated by incorporating Au nanoparticles into a Co-MOF structure on carbon cloth (CC), yielding an open architecture with enhanced charge transfer capabilities that significantly improved electrocatalytic activity toward UA. The as-prepared cBPE-ECL sensor exhibited excellent analytical performance, featuring a wide linear range (10–1000 µM), low detection limit (6 µM), high stability, good reproducibility, and strong anti-interference capabilities. The practical utility of this cBPE-ECL sensing platform was validated through successful UA detection in fetal bovine serum and artificial serum samples, achieving recoveries between 96.4 and 103.4%, demonstrating its potential for UA detection in clinical and biomedical applications. Graphical abstract