Amine-Rich Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanodots as a Platform for Self-Enhancing Electrochemiluminescence

Amine-rich nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (NCNDs) have been successfully used as co-reactant in electrochemiluminescence (ECL) processes. Primary or tertiary amino groups on NCNDs have been studied as co-reactant sites for Ru(bpy)32+ ECL, showing their eligibility as powerful alternatives to tripropylamine (TPrA). We also report the synthesis and ECL behavior of a new covalently linked hybrid of NCNDs and Ru(bpy)32+. Notably, the NCNDs in the hybrid act both as carrier for ECL labels and as co-reactant for ECL generation. As a result, the hybrid shows a higher ECL emission as compared to the combination of the individual components, suggesting the self-enhancing ECL of the ruthenium complex due to an intramolecular electron transfer process.