Rod-Like Tetraphenylethylene-Based Metal–Organic Framework for Ultrasensitive Detection of Neuron-Specific Enolase

The hunt for stable and effective luminous materials has always been a major focus of investigation and research during the development of electrochemiluminescence (ECL). However, numerous challenges persist even in current times. The aggregation-induced emission (AIE) ligand 1,1,2,2-tetra(4-carboxylbiphenyl)ethylene and La 3+ were used in this study to create a rod-like metal–organic framework (La-TCBPE-MOF, LTM), which was then constructed into an inventive ECL immunosensor for the ultrasensitive detection of neuron-specific enolase (NSE). LTM showed stronger ECL signals compared to H 4 TCBPE aggregations, which can be attributed not only to the immobilization of H 4 TCBPE ligands within the rigid MOF matrix, which restricted free intramolecular rotation and vibration, but also to the reduction of nonradiative transitions. Furthermore, the loading capacity of the H 4 TCBPE luminophore was significantly boosted by anchoring H 4 TCBPE into the rigid MOF as a bridging ligand. Consequently, a larger ECL intensity was produced due to the increased amount of H 4 TCBPE luminophores being stimulated. As anticipated, the fabricated ECL immunosensor exhibited a broad linear range spanning from 100 fg mL –1 to 100 ng mL –1, accompanied by an impressively low limit of detection (LOD) of 21.5 fg mL –1 . Moreover, the ECL immunosensor was effectively utilized for measurement in human serum. In summary, this research demonstrated a successful integration of AIE into the field of ECL, enabling rapid, sensitive, and highly precise detection of NSE.