Electrochemiluminescence
(ECL)-functionalized metal–organic
frameworks (MOFs) have attracted increasing attention in biosensing
in virtue of their diverse and tunable optical properties. A famous
ECL luminophore, carboxyl-rich tris(4,4′-dicarboxylic acid-2,2′-bipyridyl)
ruthenium(II) (Ru(dcbpy)3
2+), possesses the
characteristics of good water solubility and excellent ECL performance
and also has the potential to be the organic ligand of metal–organic
frameworks. Herein, functionalized MOF nanosheets (RuMOFNSs) containing
plenty of Ru(dcbpy)3
2+ in the frameworks were
synthesized in aqueous solution by a simple one-pot method. In this
protocol, Ru(dcbpy)3
2+ acted as organic ligand
to coordinate with Zn2+ originated from Zn(NO3)2, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used as structure-directing
agent to control the formation of sheetlike structure. For practical
application, a “signal-on” ECL immunosensor was designed
for cardiac troponin I (cTnI) detection by employing RuMOFNSs as ECL
probe. The immunosensor exhibited high sensitivity and excellent selectivity
for cTnI detection in the range from 1 fg/mL to 10 ng/mL with a detection
limit as low as 0.48 fg/mL. Finally, the biosensor was successfully
applied for the detection of cTnI in human serum sample with satisfactory
results, demonstrating its potential application in bioanalysis and
clinical diagnosis.