Recent advances in aptamer-integrated covalent organic frameworks for electrochemiluminescence detection of emerging pollutants

With the rapid advancement of industrialization and urbanization, emerging pollutants (EPs) have become a significant environmental and public health concern. Characterized by persistence, bioaccumulation, and potential toxicity, their detection is crucial. Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) technology offers a promising analytical tool due to its high sensitivity and low background. Recently, covalent organic frameworks (COFs), featuring highly ordered porous architectures, adjustable electronic properties, and outstanding chemical stability, have emerged as key materials for improving ECL detection performance. The functionalizable structure of COFs, combined with the high selectivity of nucleic acid aptamers, enables the formation of a dual-recognition interface that enhances the specificity of target responses. This design allows aptamer conformational changes and the confinement effect of COFs to jointly drive sensitive signal transduction. This review not only provides a comprehensive summary of COF-based ECL systems but also highlights the emerging trend of aptamer-integrated COFs for environmental applications.