Thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (H2Thz), a thiazolothiazole (TTz) derivative with carboxylic acid groups, was synthesized as a ligand for the creation of five MOFs, each associated with distinct metal ions including Ag+, Mn2+, Co2+, Zn2+, and Cu2+. The cathodic electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of H2Thz and the resulting MOFs was investigated. H2Thz was found to generate ECL signals, but this process was heavily reliant on potassium persulfate (K2S2O8) as a co-reactant. However, the Ag-MOF, formed with H2Thz as the ligand, exhibited substantial ECL signals without the need for any co-reactant, which is different from other metal-containing MOFs. The smaller band gap, higher electron mobility and the unique electrocatalytic activity of Ag+ ions were confirmed to be the reasons for the excellent ECL performance of Ag-MOF. The interaction between thiol group of glutathione (GSH) and Ag-MOF suppressed the ECL signal of the Ag-MOF-K2S2O8 system. Based on this, a sensitive ECL method for GSH was developed and effectively utilized for GSH quantification in cell lysates.
Keywords: Electrochemiluminescence; Glutathione; Metal–organic framework; Thiazolothiazole.
© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.