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Applications of liquid crystals in biosensing.
Ziyihui Wang1, Tianhua Xu, Adam Noel
1School of Precision Instrument and Opto-Electronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China. tianhua.xu@ieee.org.
Soft Matter
|May 12, 2021
Summary
Liquid crystal (LC) biosensors offer sensitive, rapid, and cost-effective detection of biomolecules. This review highlights their design, sensing principles, and applications for human health diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Liquid crystals (LCs) are sensitive, responsive, and low-cost materials extensively used for detecting external stimuli.
- LC-based biosensors leverage the self-assembly potential and functional diversity of LCs for biological detection.
- Recent advancements focus on LC biosensors due to their ability to respond to biomolecular interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent investigations on the design and application of LC-based biosensors.
- To describe the sensing principles and signal detection mechanisms of LC biosensors.
- To discuss the challenges and future prospects of LC biosensors in the biosensing industry.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent literature on LC biosensor design and applications.
- Explanation of the sensing principle based on biomolecule-LC interactions.
- Description of signal detection methods for quantifying target analytes.
Main Results:
- LC biosensors can detect a wide range of targets including glucose, proteins, nucleic acids, and microorganisms.
- The orientation of LCs is influenced by interactions with biomolecules, enabling detection.
- Stimuli-responsive LC biosensors demonstrate high sensitivity and broad applicability in biological sensing.
Conclusions:
- LC biosensors offer a promising platform for sensitive and cost-effective biological detection.
- Further research is needed to enhance performance and realize their full potential in the biosensing industry.
- Tunable, stimuli-responsive LC biosensors show significant advantages for various biological applications.
