Chemiluminescence Techniques in Quantum Dot Sensing

Chemiluminescence detection harnesses light generated by chemical reactions to monitor analytes without external excitation, minimising background interference. Quantum dots—particularly carbon-based nanodots—serve as efficient luminophores in these systems. Central to many approaches is the peroxalate reaction, in which peroxalate esters react with hydrogen peroxide to form high-energy intermediates that transfer energy via a chemically initiated electron exchange luminescence (CIEEL) mechanism to quantum dots. By tuning dot composition, surface functionalisation and energy‐level alignment, researchers have achieved bright multicolour and near‐infrared emission, deep penetration depths and high quantum yields. Applications span biosensing of reactive oxygen species (ROS), glucose and hydrogen peroxide, as well as image‐guided antibacterial and oncological interventions. The independence from external light sources, combined with high sensitivity and biocompatibility, underpins the growing utility of chemiluminescent quantum‐dot sensors in both fundamental studies and translational diagnostics.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Research from all publishers

Recent advances have demonstrated peroxalate‐driven carbon nanodot systems for dynamic biosensing and theranostics. A 2023 study introduced a self‐illuminating near‐infrared emissive carbon dot assembly activated by endogenous hydrogen peroxide in bacterial microenvironments, enabling real‐time infection imaging and reactive oxygen species–mediated antibacterial therapy with up to 99.99 % sterilisation efficiency. In 2020, near‐infrared chemiluminescent carbon nanodots integrated via amphiphilic copolymers were shown to detect hydrogen peroxide in vitro and in vivo down to nanomolar concentrations, achieving deep‐tissue bioimaging of inflammation. Complementing these, deep‐red chemiluminescent carbon dots paired with luminol and peroxalate have been deployed for dual‐mode sensing of hydrogen peroxide and glucose, reaching micromolar detection limits suitable for blood analysis. Collectively, these studies illustrate how structural engineering and energy‐transfer optimisation in quantum‐dot systems yield highly sensitive, multicolour and in vivo–compatible chemiluminescent sensors.

Chemiluminescence Techniques in Quantum Dot Sensing publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in chemiluminescence techniques in quantum dot sensing across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Chemiluminescence: photon emission resulting directly from a chemical reaction without external light excitation.

Quantum dot: nanoscale semiconductor particle with size‐tunable electronic and optical properties, including carbon nanodots.

CIEEL (Chemically Initiated Electron Exchange Luminescence): mechanism where energy from a chemical reaction is transferred to a luminophore to produce an excited state and light emission.

Peroxalate reaction: chemiluminescent process involving the reaction of peroxalate esters with hydrogen peroxide to generate high‐energy intermediates that excite quantum dots.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): reactive oxygen‐containing molecules that serve as both analytes and triggers in biosensing applications.

References

1. Chemiluminescent carbon nanodots for dynamic and guided antibacteria. Light: Science & Applications (2023).
2. Near‐Infrared Chemiluminescent Carbon Nanodots and Their Application in Reactive Oxygen Species Bioimaging. Advanced Science (2020).
3. Chemiluminescent carbon nanodots as sensors for hydrogen peroxide and glucose. Nanophotonics (2020).