Electrochemiluminescence, which uses chemical reactions driven by electrical energy to make target substances emit light and measures the amount of light to determine the quantity of the target substance, is known as an excellent sample analysis method due to its high sensitivity and low noise. In recent years, the devices used have become smaller and more portable, but they typically require a power supply to drive the chemical reactions.
A research team led by Professor Shinsuke Inaki of the School of Materials and Chemical Technology at the Institute of Science Tokyo has developed an electrochemiluminescence method that doesn't require a power supply by utilizing the potential difference that occurs between the upstream and downstream when a solution flows in contact with a solid surface. In the study, the team first fabricated an electrochemical cell packed with a resin-based porous material. By pumping a mixed solution of acetonitrile and water containing a low concentration of electrolyte into the cell, they generated a potential difference of approximately 10 volts across the flow channel. Using this method, they successfully detected amine compounds in the solution. They confirmed that amine compounds in the solution could be detected by fixing a benzothiadiazole-triphenylamine compound, which emits light in the presence of amine compounds, to the cell's electrode. Further assessment of conditions for detecting light emittance showed that aliphatic amine compounds present in trace amounts in distilled water and tap water could also be detected.
Inaki's team has been researching electrochemical reactions that do not require power supplies, and this study represents one application of their work. This technology has the potential to be applied to environmental monitoring and water quality testing, such as detecting hazardous substances like amine compounds using the flow of rivers or water distribution pipes.
(Article: Masanori Nakajo)
