Abstract <p>A polyyne propeller was synthesized and the structure was characterized via ¹H, ¹³C NMR and FT-IR, etc. Subsequently, its photophysical properties in a series of solvents were investigated by steady-state spectroscopy and transient spectroscopy. Intriguingly, the polyyne in ethyl acetate solution exhibited intense electron absorptions, fluorescence emission. In addition, electrochemiluminescence (ECL) properties of the polyyne was further studied and it displayed strong and stable cathodic ECL emission. Considering its extraordinary ECL performance, the polyyne was used as an ECL material to construct a sensor for dopamine assay, which exhibited wide linearity (10 pM to 1 mM) with a low detection limit of 3.72 pM. This work offered new insight for preparing high-performance ECL material and will be beneficial for developing efficient sensors for biological application.</p>