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Ravuri Hema Krishna,
- Professor, Department of Chemistry, Amrita Sai Institute of Science and Technology, Bathinapadu, Andhra Pradesh, India
Abstract
The widespread use of antibiotics in healthcare, veterinary medicine, agriculture, and aquaculture has resulted in increasing levels of antibiotic residues in food products and environmental samples, posing significant risks to human health and contributing to antimicrobial resistance. Conventional analytical methods, including high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and electrochemical techniques, offer excellent sensitivity but require sophisticated instrumentation, skilled personnel, and extensive sample preparation. In recent years, liquid crystal (LC)-based biosensors have emerged as promising optical sensing platforms capable of rapid, label-free, and cost-effective detection of antibiotics. By exploiting the extraordinary sensitivity of liquid crystal molecules to interfacial disturbances, these biosensors convert molecular recognition events into easily observable optical signals. The incorporation of nanotechnology, including gold nanoparticles, graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, quantum dots, metal–organic frameworks, magnetic nanoparticles, and silica nanoparticles, has significantly enhanced sensor sensitivity, selectivity, response speed, and stability. Advanced LC biosensors employ aptamers, antibodies, molecularly imprinted polymers, or peptide receptors to selectively recognize antibiotic molecules, resulting in changes in LC orientation that can often be observed directly with the naked eye. This article reviews the fundamental sensing mechanisms, recent advances in nanotechnology-assisted LC biosensors, detection strategies for major antibiotic classes, current challenges, and future perspectives toward portable point-of-care diagnostic devices. Recent advances suggest that nanotechnology-driven LC biosensors will become powerful tools for food safety monitoring, environmental surveillance, and clinical diagnostics.
Keywords: Liquid crystal biosensors; Nanotechnology; Antibiotic detection; Apt sensors; Gold nanoparticles; Graphene oxide; Point-of-care diagnostics; Food safety.
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International Journal of Crystalline Materials
| Volume | 03 | |
| 02 | ||
| Received | 18/07/2026 | |
| Accepted | 28/07/2026 | |
| Published | 11/08/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 24 Days |