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Facile Preparation of WO 3− x Dots with Remarkably Low Toxicity and Uncompromised Activity as Co‐reactants for Clinical Diagnosis by Electrochemiluminescence
Author(s) -
Pan Deng,
Fang Zhengzou,
Yang Erli,
Ning Zhenqiang,
Zhou Qing,
Chen Kaiyang,
Zheng Yongjun,
Zhang Yuanjian,
Shen Yanfei
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.202007451
Subject(s) - electrochemiluminescence , exfoliation joint , detection limit , nanotechnology , materials science , quantum dot , ligand (biochemistry) , combinatorial chemistry , chemistry , graphene , biochemistry , receptor , chromatography
The exceptional nature of WO 3− x dots has inspired widespread interest, but it is still a significant challenge to synthesize high‐quality WO 3− x dots without using unstable reactants, expensive equipment, and complex synthetic processes. Herein, the synthesis of ligand‐free WO 3− x dots is reported that are highly dispersible and rich in oxygen vacancies by a simple but straightforward exfoliation of bulk WS 2 and a mild follow‐up chemical conversion. Surprisingly, the WO 3− x dots emerged as co‐reactants for the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ with a comparable ECL efficiency to the well‐known Ru(bpy) 3 2+ /tripropylamine (TPrA) system. Moreover, compared to TPrA, whose toxicity remains a critical issue of concern, the WO 3− x dots were ca. 300‐fold less toxic. The potency of WO 3− x dots was further explored in the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with the most competitive limit of detection so far.