Near-infrared electrogenerated chemiluminescence of ultrasmall Ag2Se quantum dots for the detection of dopamine.

The near-infrared (NIR) electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of water-dispersed Ag(2)Se quantum dots (QDs) with ultrasmall size was presented for the first time. The Ag(2)Se QDs have shown a strong and efficient cathodic ECL signal with K(2)S(2)O(8) as coreactant on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) in aqueous solution. The ECL spectrum exhibited a peak at 695 nm, consistent with the peak in photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of the Ag(2)Se QDs solution, indicating that the Ag(2)Se QDs had no deep surface traps. Dopamine was chosen as a model analyte to study the potential of Ag(2)Se QDs in the ECL analytical application. The ECL signal of Ag(2)Se QDs can also be used for the detection of the dopamine concentration in the practical drug (dopamine hydrochloride injection) containing several adjuvants such as edetate disodium, sodium bisulfite, sodium chloride and so on. The Ag(2)Se QDs could be a promising candidate emitter of ECL biosensors in the future due to their fantastic features, such as ultrasmall size, low toxicity, good water solubility, and near infrared (NIR) fluorescent emission.