Pre-oxidation of Gold Nanoclusters Results in a 66 % Anodic Electrochemiluminescence Yield and Drives Mechanistic Insights

Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) are attractive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitters because of their excellent stability, near IR emission, and biocompatibility. However, their ECL quantum yield is relatively low, and our limited fundamental understanding has hindered rational improvement of this parameter. Herein, we report drastic enhancement of the ECL of ligand-stabilized AuNCs by on-electrode pre-oxidation with triethylamine (TEA) as a co-reactant. The l-methionine-stabilized AuNCs resulted in a record high ECL yield of 66 %. This strategy was successfully extended to other AuNCs, and it is more effective for ligand shells that allow more effective electron transfer. In addition, excitation of the pre-oxidized ECL required a lower potential than conventional methods, and no additional instrument was required. This work opens avenues for solving a challenging problem of AuNC-based ECL probes and enriches fundamental understanding, greatly broadening their potential applications.