Electrogenerated chemiluminiscence (ECL) is a promising detection technique but its application to certain targets, such as small ions, is compromised due to the necessity to use high concentrations of reagents which can contaminate the sample.
Eric Bakker and co-workers have devised a system which separates the sample compartment, where the analyte is introduced alongside the ruthenium-based ECL reagent, from the compartment which contains the co-reactant necessary for the chemiluminescence to be generated. The technique relies on a liquid membrane to selectively transport the ECL ruthenium compound from the sample towards the detector.
This electro-separation technique opens the door to even more targets capable of being detected using ECL.
To learn more about how Bakker and his team have implemented this strategy, download the ChemComm article.
