Solid-State Cholesteric Liquid Crystals as an Emerging Platform for the Development of Optical Photonic Sensors

Over the past decade, solid-state cholesteric liquid crystals (CLC_solid ) have emerged as a promising photonic material, heralding new opportunities for the advancement of optical photonic biosensors and actuators. The periodic helical structure of CLC_solid s gives rise to their distinctive capability of selectively reflecting incident radiation, rendering them highly promising contenders for a wide spectrum of photonic applications. Extensive research is conducted on utilizing CLC_solid 's optical characteristics to create optical sensors for bioassays, diagnostics, and environmental monitoring. This review provides an overview of emerging technologies in the field of interpenetrating polymeric network-CLC_solid (IPN) and CLC_solid -based optical sensors, including their structural designs, processing, essential materials, working principles, and fabrication methodologies. The review concludes with a forward-looking perspective, addressing current challenges and potential trajectories for future research.