Signal “On-Amplified-Off” Strategy Based on Hafnium Dioxide Nanomaterials as Electrochemiluminescence Emitters for Progesterone Detection
Dong Xue, Qingze Zeng, Li Dai, Xiang Ren, Wei Cao, Huangxian Ju, Qin Wei
Abstract
When consumed, excess progesterone (P4)─found in food and the environment─can lead to severe illnesses in humans. Therefore, quantitative analysis of P4 is critical for identifying its hazardous levels. In this study, a novel signal “on-amplified-off” P4 detection mode was proposed, which was based on the utilization of hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ) as a unique electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitter, produced by calcining UiO-66(Hf). This is the first time that HfO 2 has been used as an ECL emitter. HfO 2 displayed excellent conductivity and a high specific surface area, allowing it to connect with numerous aptamers and produce a “signal-on” effect. Ni-doped ZnO (Ni-ZnO) acted as a coreaction accelerator, enhancing the ECL strength of HfO 2 by generating more tripropylamine radicals. cDNA was labeled with Ni-ZnO, and Ni-ZnO was linked to the aptamer via base complementary pairing, affording “signal-amplified”. The presence of the target molecule P4 instigated a specific binding process with the aptamer, triggering the shedding of cDNA-Ni-ZnO and resulting in “signal-off”. This novel “on-amplified-off” strategy effectively improved the sensitivity and specificity of P4 analysis, introducing a practical method for detecting biomolecules beyond the scope of this study, which holds immense potential for future applications.