Fabrication of a Colorimetric Electrochemiluminescence Sensor

A colorimetric electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor was fabricated for the first time, based on a dual-color system including a strong red Ru(bpy)32+ ECL and a green reference light from a light emitting diode. Traditional ECL intensity information can be easily transformed into a color variation with this sensor, and the color variation can be directly monitored using the naked eye or a commercial CCD camera. The sensor has been successfully used to determine the concentration of tripropylamine, proline (enhancing system), and dopamine (quenching system). The results indicated that the color variation obtained corresponded to the concentration of target analytes. This sensor has potential application in rapid and semiquantitative ECL analysis.