In this paper, a simple and sensitive ECL sensor based on mesoporous silica (mSiO2) nanospheres was constructed for the quantitative detection of matrine (MT). Electrochemical and ECL behaviors were investigated with Ru(bpy)32+/mSiO2/Nafion modified electrodes and the sensor was used for the detection of matrine under a Ru(bpy)32+/tripropylamine (TPA) system. The influence of the pH and scan rate was studied. Under optimum conditions the experimental results indicated that the sensor had an excellent ECL efficiency and showed a good response to the concentration of MT with a linear range from 1.5 × 10−6 M to 2.0 × 10−3 M. The lowest detection limit was 0.5 μM with a relative standard deviation of 5.47%. This constructed ECL sensor could be applicable for real sample analysis.
