Electrochemiluminescent enantioselective detection with chiral-imprinted mesoporous metal surfaces

Chiral-imprinted mesoporous Pt-Ir alloy surfaces were combined in a synergetic way with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) to detect the two enantiomers of phenylalanine (PA) as a model compound, acting simultaneously as a chiral target and as a co-reactant to generate significant differences in ECL signals. The chiral features of the metal surfaces are converted into an enantioselective electrogeneration of the excited state of the [Ru(bpy)(3)](2+) dye, which in fine produces the differentiating light emission with up to 20-fold differences in intensity for the two enantiomers. These findings open up the possibility of developing new ECL-based bioassays and microscopy of chiral environments.

Automated summary

Chiral-imprinted mesoporous Pt-Ir alloy surfaces combined with electrochemiluminescence can detect the two enantiomers of phenylalanine, producing significant signal differences. The chiral features of the metal surfaces are converted into enantioselective electrogeneration of dye excited states, resulting in different light emission intensities.