Electrochemiluminescence of terbium (III) complex and its potential application for the determination of bacterial endospores

Binary Tb (III) complex with pyridine-2, 6-dicarboxylate (DPA) was synthesized by a simple process and its electrochemiluminesence (ECL) property in an aqueous solution was investigated carefully for the first time. Based on the ECL property of the synthesized Tb (III) complex, a new method to detect DPA with high sensitivity was established. Under the optimal condition, the linear relationship between enhanced ECL and the concentration of DPA was 2.0×10−7–3.4×10−5 mol/L and the limit of detection (LOD) was 6.0×10−8 mol/L. Furthermore, the possible mechanism for the ECL behavior of Tb (III) complex was also investigated.