A self-enhanced electrochemiluminescence array chip for portable label-free detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein with smartphone

SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection plays a key role in the rapid diagnosis of COVID-19. However, current clinically used immunoassays are often limited by assay throughput, sensitivity, accuracy, and field operating conditions. To address these challenges, we constructed a self-enhanced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) array chip (SE2AC) for highly sensitive and label-free detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (N protein) with a facile and portable assay setup. Firstly, the self-enhanced ECL nanomaterials with inherent film-forming properties were synthesized by co-doping Ru(bpy)32+ and polyethyleneimine (PEI) in silica nanoparticles (Ru/PEI@SiO2). Secondly, a resistance-induced potential difference-based single-electrode electrochemical system (SEES) was adapted to serve as the electrode array to facilitate one-step assembly without the need for chip alignment. Thirdly, the chip electrode array was functionalized with the synthesized self-enhanced ECL emitters and captured antibodies. In addition, a portable detection box equipped with a smartphone was 3D-printed to serve as the chip holder and “dark room” for imaging acquisition. The SE2AC performance was validated with N protein with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.47 pg/mL in the range of 1–10,000 pg/mL. Furthermore, the chip successfully detected the viral antigen residue as low as 1.92 pg/mL from diluted rehabilitation patients’ serum samples. This is the first study reporting label-free detection of SARS-Cov-2 N protein based on a self-enhanced ECL immunosensor, which provides a novel facile method for highly sensitive diagnosis of COVID-19 with high throughput, portability, and low cost.