In this review article, we analyze recent progress in the application of liquid crystal-assisted advanced functional materials for sensing biological and chemical analytes. Multiple research groups demonstrate substantial interest in liquid crystal (LC) sensing platforms, generating an increasing number of scientific articles. We review trends in implementing LC sensing techniques and identify common problems related to the stability and reliability of the sensing materials as well as to experimental set-ups. Finally, we suggest possible means of bridging scientific findings to viable and attractive LC sensor platforms.
Keywords: DNA; LC sensor numerical simulations; antibodies; aptamers; chemically functionalized interfaces; lipids; liquid crystal sensor; lyotropic LCs; optical biosensor; specific sensing; surfactants; thermotropic LCs.