Nanoconfinement-enchanced electrochemiluminescence based on a Ru(bpy)32+-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles for ribavirin detection

Testing ribavirin (RBV) is essential to promote its appropriate clinical use, mitigate resistance development, reduce adverse effects, and safeguard public health. Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) outperforms conventional methods in RBV detection, offering superior sensitivity and reduced background noise. In this work, ECL micro-reactors were prepared by incorporating Ru(bpy) 3 2+ into a mesoporous silica matrix with two-dimensional hexagonal structure (SBA-15). In this configuration, tripropylamine (TPA) was employed as a co-reactant, which interacted with Ru(bpy) 3 2+ to enhance the ECL signal. The quenching effect of ribavirin (RBV) on the Ru(bpy) 3 2+ -TPA system was confirmed through its significant suppression of ECL emission. A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with SBA-15 loaded with Ru(bpy) 3 2+ (SBA-15@Ru) was fabricated as a novel ECL sensor. This sensor enabled the detection of RBV over a wide concentration range 1.0 × 10 −9  mol·L −1 to 1.0 × 10 −5  mol·L −1 , achieving a detection limit (LOD) of 3.33 × 10 −10  mol·L −1 . Additionally, the sensor exhibited outstanding stability and selectivity and was successfully applied for accurate quantification of RBV in pharmaceutical samples.