title: Potential-Modulated Electrochemiluminescence of Carbon Nitride Nanosheets for Dual-Signal Sensing of Metal Ions.
abstract: As an emerging semiconductor, graphite-phase polymeric carbon nitride (GPPCN) has drawn much attention not only in photocatalysis but also in optical sensors such as electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensing of metal ions. However, when the concentrations of interfering metal ions are several times higher than that of the target metal ion, it is almost impossible to distinguish which metal ion changes the ECL signals in real sample detection. Herein, we report that the dual-ECL signals could be actuated by different ECL reactions merely from GPPCN nanosheets at anodic and cathodic potentials, respectively. Interestingly, the different metal ions exhibited distinct quenching/enhancement of the ECL signal at different driven potentials, presumably ascribed to the diversity of energy-level matches between the metal ions and GPPCN nanosheets and catalytic interactions of the intermediate species in ECL reactions. On this basis, without any labeling and masking reagents, the accuracy and reliability of sensors based on the ECL of GPPCN nanosheets toward metal ions were largely improved; thus, the false-positive result caused by interferential metal ions could be effectively avoided. As an example, the proposed GPPCN ECL sensor with a detection limit of 1.13 nM was successfully applied for the detection of trace Ni(2+) ion in tap and lake water.
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University , Nanjing 211189, China.
authors.forename: Qiuwei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University , Nanjing 211189, China.
authors.forename: Zhixin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Medical School, Southeast University , Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Yanfei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University , Nanjing 211189, China.
authors.forename: Yuye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University , Nanjing 211189, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University , Nanjing 211189, China.
authors.forename: Songqin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Province Hi-Tech Key Laboratory for Bio-Medical Research, Jiangsu Optoelectronic Functional Materials and Engineering Laboratory, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University , Nanjing 211189, China.
authors.forename: Yuanjian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: carbon nitride nanosheets; dual-signal sensing; electrochemiluminescence; potential resolved; single luminophor