Signal “On-Amplified-Off” Strategy Based on Hafnium Dioxide Nanomaterials as Electrochemiluminescence Emitters for Progesterone Detection

When consumed, excess progesterone (P4)─found in food and the environment─can lead to severe illnesses in humans. Therefore, quantitative analysis of P4 is critical for identifying its hazardous levels. In this study, a novel signal "on-amplified-off" P4 detection mode was proposed, which was based on the utilization of hafnium oxide (HfO₂) as a unique electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitter, produced by calcining UiO-66(Hf). This is the first time that HfO₂ has been used as an ECL emitter. HfO₂ displayed excellent conductivity and a high specific surface area, allowing it to connect with numerous aptamers and produce a "signal-on" effect. Ni-doped ZnO (Ni-ZnO) acted as a coreaction accelerator, enhancing the ECL strength of HfO₂ by generating more tripropylamine radicals. cDNA was labeled with Ni-ZnO, and Ni-ZnO was linked to the aptamer via base complementary pairing, affording "signal-amplified". The presence of the target molecule P4 instigated a specific binding process with the aptamer, triggering the shedding of cDNA-Ni-ZnO and resulting in "signal-off". This novel "on-amplified-off" strategy effectively improved the sensitivity and specificity of P4 analysis, introducing a practical method for detecting biomolecules beyond the scope of this study, which holds immense potential for future applications.