ECLectic Network Event 5: preparing the second half of the doctoral journey
From 6 to 10 July 2026, the ECLectic consortium gathered in Wageningen, the Netherlands, for Network Event 5, hosted…
ECLectic Network Event 5 to take place in Wageningen, The Netherlands
From 6 to 10 July 2026, the ECLectic consortium will come together in Wageningen, The Netherlands, for Network Event…
Seminar and tutorial on switchSENSE® biosensor technologies at Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
On Tuesday, 18 November 2025, a seminar and hands-on tutorial on switchSENSE® biosensor technologies was held at…
ECLectic Network Event 4: Three days of biosensing, clinical translation and interdisciplinary training at Dublin City University
From 20 to 22 October 2025, the ECLectic consortium gathered at Dublin City University (DCU) for its fourth Network…
Towards ECLectic Network Event 4 on Biosensors @ Dublin City University
After the summer break and the start of the new academic year, the ECLectic consortium is ready for its fourth Network…
ECLectic Network Event 3 on Photochemistry and ECL @ Bologna (Italy)
From June 9 to 13, the Doctoral Candidates of the ECLectic project participated in the third Network Training Event,…
Network Event 3 will be in Bologna, focusing on photochemistry and ECL
The third Network Training Event of the ECLectic Doctoral Network is just around the corner: from Monday, June 9th to…
ECLectic in Bilbao: Four days of training, science, and collaboration during Network Event 2
The second ECLectic Network Meeting & Training Event has just wrapped up, hosted by the Fundacion BCMaterials in…
ECLectic Network Meeting and Training Event 2 coming soon in Bilbao
The second Network Meeting and Training Event of the ECLectic Doctoral Network is approaching, and preparations are in…
ECLectic Network Meeting on Sepsis @ Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany)
We are thrilled to announce the successful conclusion of the first Training Event on Sepsis and ECLectic Doctoral…
ECLectic Network Meeting on Sepsis coming up @ Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany)
The first Network Meeting and Training Event of the ECLectic Doctoral Network will be taking place in Freiburg im…
Tunable electrochemiluminescence of TADF luminophores: manipulating efficiency and unveiling water-soluble emitters
Alessandro Fracassa, Francesco Calogero, Giulio Pavan, Pavlos Nikolaou, Andrea Fermi, Paola Ceroni, Francesco Paolucci, Pier Giorgio Cozzi, Thomas Scattolin, Nicola Demitri, Fabrizia Negri, Andrea Gualandi, Alessandro Aliprandi and Giovanni Valenti
Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent (TADF) luminophores offer the potential to achieve 100% Internal Quantum Efficiency (IQE) by harvesting both singlet and triplet excitons via reverse intersystem crossing from T1 to S1. This class of molecules has therefore been embraced in the pursuit of cheaper and more efficient electrochemiluminescent (ECL) labels. The present study explores how tuning the electron-donating (D) and -accepting (A) strengths of peripheral substituents affects the ECL emission of mono- and dicyanoarene-based TADF dyes. To this end, we synthesized two series of TADF compounds, independently manipulating electron donors and acceptors by (i) halogenating electron-rich diphenylamine moieties, or (ii) mono- or di-substituting the electron-poor cyanoarene core with either fluorine or imidazole. Through a comparative analysis, we elucidate the role of each substituent in shaping the photophysics of the investigated luminophores. Despite only achieving a relative ΦECL as high as 1.27%, this framework identifies several molecular features that boost the ECL efficiency to pave the way for designing highly efficient TADF-based ECL emitters. Ultimately, imidazole substituents are exploited as a platform for functionalization with triethylene glycol units. The resulting water-soluble TADF luminophores are characterized under conditions usual to commercial ECL bioanalysis, proving their potential as a cost-effective alternative replacement to [Ru(bpy)3]2+ in clinical diagnostic.
Biosensing strategies using recombinant luminescent proteins and their use for food and environmental analysis
Fernando Pradanas-González, Marta García Cortés, Bettina Glahn-Martínez, Melisa del Barrio, Pablo Purohit, Elena Benito-Peña, Guillermo Orellana
Progress in synthetic biology and nanotechnology plays at present a major role in the fabrication of sophisticated and miniaturized analytical devices that provide the means to tackle the need for new tools and methods for environmental and food safety. Significant research efforts have led to biosensing experiments experiencing a remarkable growth with the development and application of recombinant luminescent proteins (RLPs) being at the core of this boost. Integrating RLPs into biosensors has resulted in highly versatile detection platforms. These platforms include luminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET)–based sensors, and genetically encoded luminescent biosensors. Increased signal-to-noise ratios, rapid response times, and the ability to monitor dynamic biological processes in live cells are advantages inherent to the approaches mentioned above. Furthermore, novel fusion proteins and optimized expression systems to improve their stability, brightness, and spectral properties have enhanced the performance and pertinence of luminescent biosensors in diverse fields. This review highlights recent progress in RLP-based biosensing, showcasing their implementation for monitoring different contaminants commonly found in food and environmental samples. Future perspectives and potential challenges in these two areas of interest are also addressed, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state and a forecast of the biosensing strategies using recombinant luminescent proteins to come.
Electrocatalytic amplification of coreactant electrochemiluminescence using redox mediators
Sara Knežević, Emily Kerr, Giovanni Valenti, Francesco Paolucci, Paul S. Francis, Conor F. Hogan, Neso Sojic, Frédéric Kanoufi
Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) has emerged as a sensitive analytical technique with a wide range of applications. While recent studies have begun to explore the role of redox mediators to facilitate ECL systems, this work extends these foundational insights by developing a comprehensive theoretical framework that supports, generalizes, and rationalizes mechanistic pathways borrowed from molecular electrocatalysis. This advancement is demonstrated through the electrocatalytic amplification of coreactant ECL within the [Ru(bpy)3]2+/TPrA system, utilizing a water-soluble redox-active Ir(III) complex as an electrocatalyst. Our investigation unveils previously uncharted mechanisms that enable the enhancement of Ru complex ECL at low electrode potentials, crucially without requiring the direct oxidation of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ or TPrA at the electrode, thus offering a deeper understanding of ECL activation through moelcular electrocatalysis. Through an integrated approach combining electrochemical analysis, spectroscopic investigation, and finite element modeling, we elucidate how the redox mediator critically modulates ECL efficiency by controlling the kinetics of radical species production and decay. The mediation by the Ir(III) complex not only governs the generation of TPrA radicals and excited [Ru(bpy)3]2+ states, thereby enhancing ECL intensity, but also the conditions under which ECL can be quenched. Further exploration of the mediator’s redox characteristics provides predictive insights into ECL behavior, underscoring the mediator’s redox potential as pivotal in determining ECL onset, peak potential, and intensity. This refined understanding paves the way for tailoring ECL systems for enhanced performance in analytical, imaging, and biomedical applications through the judicious selection of redox mediators.
Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence at the Gas/Liquid Interface of Bubbles Propelled into Solution
Sara Knežević, Joseba Totoricaguena-Gorriño, Rajendra Kumar Reddy Gajjala, Bruno Hermenegildo, Leire Ruiz-Rubio, José Luis Vilas-Vilela, Senentxu Lanceros-Méndez, Neso Sojic, Francisco Javier Del Campo
Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is typically confined to a micrometric region from the electrode surface. This study demonstrates that ECL emission can extend up to several millimeters away from the electrode employing electrogenerated chlorine bubbles. The mechanism behind this bubble-enhanced ECL was investigated using an Au microelectrode in chloride-containing and chloride-free electrolyte solutions. We discovered that ECL emission at the gas/solution interface is driven by two parallel effects. First, the bubble corona effect facilitates the generation of hydroxyl radicals capable of oxidizing luminol while the bubble is attached to the surface. Second, hypochlorite generated from chlorine sustains luminol emission for over 200 s and extends the emission range up to 5 mm into the solution, following bubble detachment. The new approach can increase the emission intensity of luminol-based assays 5-fold compared to the conventional method. This is demonstrated through a glucose bioassay, using a midrange mobile phone camera for detection. These findings significantly expand the potential applications of ECL by extending its effective range in time and space.
