Signal amplification strategies for optical biodetection at the liquid crystal–solid interface

ABSTRACT

Liquid crystals (LCs) are reliable signal transducers for biosensors with chemical and biological sensing potentials demonstrated on the basis of their anisotropy. Thanks to the high sensitivity and fast response to analytes, the LC–solid, LC–aqueous and LC droplet interfaces facilitate sensing platforms to be established without the requirement of sophisticated and costly analytical instruments. In this mini-review, we summarise strategies of optical signal amplification to improve the detection limit of biological analytes at the LC–solid interface. Because approaches towards signal amplification for a single target analyte are seldom compared by discussing various LC-based biosensing platforms, this mini-review may provide implications for integrating current technologies to promote the development of multiplex platforms based on the LC–solid interface.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Detection limit
• bovine serum albumin
• label-free detection
• liquid crystal
• optical biosensor

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to Dr Hassanein Shaban, Fei-Fan Duan, Wei-Liang Hsu, Hui-Wen Su and Shih-Chun Yen of College of Photonics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Tainan, Taiwan, for their contributions to the experimental results highlighted in this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan, under Grant Nos. 110-2112-M-A49-023, 110-2320-B-309-001 and 111-2112-M-A49-033.