Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence from 3D Nanocavity Electrode Arrays

•The electrochemiluminescence of a ruthenium dye within nanocavity arrays can be used to activate the cavity plasmons of an appropriately sized nanocavity array. This process significantly enhances the ECL intensity relative to a planar electrode.•ECL can be generated wirelessly by placing the nanocavity array within an externally generated electric field opening up the possibility of shaping and focusing the electric field through the 3D structure of the bipolar electrode.•In a wireless ECL DNA sandwich assay, the analytical sensitivity for the detection of genomic DNA associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, genomic DNA is approximately 7-fold higher for an 820 nm array compared to a conventional electrode.