Recent advances in near infrared (NIR) electrochemiluminescence luminophores

Electrochemiluminescence has been developed as a robust analytical technique owing to its intrinsic advantages, such as near-zero background signal noise, wide dynamic ranges, high sensitivity and low cost and simple equipment. ECL luminophore as the critical component to generate light signals plays significant roles in this robust analytical system. Compared with traditional ECL luminophores, near infrared (NIR) ECL luminophores have attracted significant attentions recently due to their negligible autofluorescence, lower background interference and deep tissue penetration. Although substantial progresses have been achieved in exploring novel NIR ECL luminophores and elucidating their roles in addressing diverse challenges, there is still scarce of comprehensive reviews on the development of NIR ECL luminophores so far. In this review, the recent advancements on NIR ECL materials, including inorganic metal complexes, organic small molecules, metal nanoclusters, quantum dots and lanthanide-based materials, have been thoroughly summarized and discussed. In addition, we also provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges and prospects that lie ahead for the future development of NIR ECL luminophores in the future.