Developments and applications of electrogenerated chemiluminescence sensors based on micro- and nanomaterials

A variety of recent developments and applications of electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) for sensors are described. While tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) and luminol have dominated and continue to pervade the field of ECL-based sensors, recent work has focused on use of these lumophores with micro- and nanomaterials. It has also extended to inherently luminescent nanomaterials, such as quantum dots. Sensor configurations including microelectrode arrays and microfluidics are reviewed and, with the recent trend toward increased use of nanomaterials, special attention has been given to sensors which include thin films, nanoparticles and nanotubes. Applications of ECL labels and examples of label-free sensing that incorporate nanomaterials are also discussed.