Electrochemiluminescence immunosensor based on Cu3(PO4)2 hybrid nanoflowers as a novel luminophore for the sensitive detection of prostate-specific antigen

Copper phosphate hybrid nanoflowers (Cu 3 (PO 4 ) 2 HNFs) were demonstrated to produce cathodic ECL emission in the presence of potassium persulfate (K 2 S 2 O 8 ) and then used as a carrier due to their large specific surface area. AgNPs modified on Cu 3 (PO 4 ) 2 HNFs provided more binding sites for immobilizing secondary antibodies and accelerating the electron transfer rate to enhance the ECL signal. In addition, FONDs-Au was used to capture primary antibodies due to its good biocompatibility and large specific surface area. A sandwich electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor based on copper phosphate hybrid nanoflower/Ag nanoparticle (Cu 3 (PO 4 ) 2 HNFs@Ag) composite and Au NPs-functionalized Fe 2 O 3 nanodendrites (FONDs-Au) was constructed to detect prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in real samples. Under optimal conditions, the constructed sandwich ECL immunosensor was sensitive to PSA with a detection limit of 0.037 pg/mL ( S / N  = 3), a linear detection concentration range of 0.0001–50 ng/mL, and a recovery range of 97.33–102.5%. This immunosensor is expected to provide a method to detect PSA or other biomarkers. Graphical Abstract