Nanoparticle coated paper-based chemiluminescence device for the determination of l-cysteine

A laminated paper-based analytical device (LPAD) combined with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) catalyzed luminol chemiluminescence (CL) system for the determination of l-cysteine (l-cys) was presented here. It is based on the principle that l-cys can greatly inhibit CL signal of AuNPs–luminol–H2O2 system. The paper-based device was fabricated by a low-cost cutting method, followed by lamination with two polyester films. This approach of cutting/lamination to fabricate LPAD is very similar to making a lamination picture. A good linear relationship was obtained between the CL intensity and the concentrations of l-cys in the range from 1.0×10−8 M to 1.0×10−6 M with a detection limit at 8.2×10−10 M (S/N=3). This study shows the successful integration of the LPAD and the CL method. It will be of interest for use in areas such as disease diagnosis in the future.