Oxide and Hydrogel Inverse Opals and Their Applications as Physical, Chemical and Biological Sensors

Inverse opal (IO) structures based on photonic colloidal crystal (PCC) templates are types of materials that possess unique optical properties due to their ordered arrays. These materials have the ability to manipulate the propagation of light, producing unique reflection spectra and structural colo...

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Main Authors: Peter Hutchison, Peter Kingshott, Aimin Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/11/3370
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author Peter Hutchison
Peter Kingshott
Aimin Yu
author_facet Peter Hutchison
Peter Kingshott
Aimin Yu
author_sort Peter Hutchison
collection DOAJ
description Inverse opal (IO) structures based on photonic colloidal crystal (PCC) templates are types of materials that possess unique optical properties due to their ordered arrays. These materials have the ability to manipulate the propagation of light, producing unique reflection spectra and structural colours. Due to these properties, IOs have been used as optical sensors for various applications such as the detection of physical, chemical, and biological entities. This review begins with a brief introduction of PCCs, IOs and their preparation procedures. The recent advancements in the applications of IOs for sensing temperature, pH, humidity, chemical compounds (such as organic solvents and heavy metal ions), and biological entities (such as tumour cells, viruses and bacteria) are then discussed in detail. The review also explores strategies and techniques aimed at enhancing the sensitivity and lowering the limit of detection of IO-based sensors. Finally, it addresses the current challenges, existing limitations, and prospective future directions in the development and deployment of IO-based sensors.
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spelling doaj-art-c5170b2f1133427ab97e796bc0192e492025-08-20T03:46:46ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-05-012511337010.3390/s25113370Oxide and Hydrogel Inverse Opals and Their Applications as Physical, Chemical and Biological SensorsPeter Hutchison0Peter Kingshott1Aimin Yu2Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, AustraliaDepartment of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, AustraliaDepartment of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, AustraliaInverse opal (IO) structures based on photonic colloidal crystal (PCC) templates are types of materials that possess unique optical properties due to their ordered arrays. These materials have the ability to manipulate the propagation of light, producing unique reflection spectra and structural colours. Due to these properties, IOs have been used as optical sensors for various applications such as the detection of physical, chemical, and biological entities. This review begins with a brief introduction of PCCs, IOs and their preparation procedures. The recent advancements in the applications of IOs for sensing temperature, pH, humidity, chemical compounds (such as organic solvents and heavy metal ions), and biological entities (such as tumour cells, viruses and bacteria) are then discussed in detail. The review also explores strategies and techniques aimed at enhancing the sensitivity and lowering the limit of detection of IO-based sensors. Finally, it addresses the current challenges, existing limitations, and prospective future directions in the development and deployment of IO-based sensors.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/11/3370inverse opalssensorsphotonic colloidal crystals
spellingShingle Peter Hutchison
Peter Kingshott
Aimin Yu
Oxide and Hydrogel Inverse Opals and Their Applications as Physical, Chemical and Biological Sensors
Sensors
inverse opals
sensors
photonic colloidal crystals
title Oxide and Hydrogel Inverse Opals and Their Applications as Physical, Chemical and Biological Sensors
title_full Oxide and Hydrogel Inverse Opals and Their Applications as Physical, Chemical and Biological Sensors
title_fullStr Oxide and Hydrogel Inverse Opals and Their Applications as Physical, Chemical and Biological Sensors
title_full_unstemmed Oxide and Hydrogel Inverse Opals and Their Applications as Physical, Chemical and Biological Sensors
title_short Oxide and Hydrogel Inverse Opals and Their Applications as Physical, Chemical and Biological Sensors
title_sort oxide and hydrogel inverse opals and their applications as physical chemical and biological sensors
topic inverse opals
sensors
photonic colloidal crystals
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/11/3370
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