Boosting luminol-O₂ electrochemiluminescence in neutral media via phosphorus-doped cerium single-atom catalysts

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) based on the luminol-O 2 system is attractive for biosensing, yet its efficiency under neutral conditions remains extremely limited due to the poor reactivity of dissolved oxygen. Herein, we develop a phosphorus-doped cerium single-atom catalyst (Ce-N/P-C SAC) that significantly enhances luminol-O 2 ECL in neutral media. The introduction of P atoms effectively modulates the electronic structure of Ce sites, promotes the Ce 3+ /Ce 4+ redox cycle, and accelerates the one-electron oxygen reduction reaction to generate abundant ·O 2 ⁻, leading to a 12.73-fold ECL enhancement compared with the bare electrode and a 2.13-fold increase over undoped Ce-N-C. Based on these catalytic properties, a highly sensitive ECL platform was constructed for the detection of gallic acid, achieving a wide linear range (10 nM − 10 µM) and a low detection limit of 7.42 nM. This work provides an efficient strategy for boosting neutral-pH luminol-O 2 ECL and demonstrates the practical potential of rare-earth single-atom catalysts in antioxidant determination and bioanalytical sensing. Section Graphical abstract