Application of nanomaterials-based optical sensors for virus detections

Contemporarily, the spread of virus has occurred in everywhere, which affect not only individual’s health but also society in the aspects of social relationships, cultural events, and families. In order to control the spread of the viruses, the rapid and accurate detection approach is crucial. Identified viruses with optical sensing techniques provides a rapid and effective judgement approach in the early diagnosis of patients. The review outlines the application of optical sensors based on nanomaterials for the detection of different viruses, e.g., colorimetric sensors, fluorescence sensors, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors. The substantial performances of these optical sensors including high sensitivity, high selectivity as well as high stability are also summarized. Moreover, besides virus recognition, the demonstrated virus optical sensors could also be widely used in detecting heavy metal ions, organophosphorus compounds, small drug molecules, tumor markers, cancer cells, etc.