A review on photonic crystal fiber based fluorescence sensing for chemical and biomedical applications

Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) have received tremendous interest in recent years for many biomedical applications due to their unique light-guiding properties. PCF based fluorescence sensors are providing a new paradigm in highly sensitive detection of biomolecules at very low sample volumes. Specific PCFs, including hollow-core PCFs and solid-core PCFs, are highly efficient optofluidic sensing platforms as they address the key challenges by providing a long interaction length between guided light and biological analyte residing in the micro-capillary holes that run along the entire length of the fiber. This review includes an overview of the recent advancements in fluorescence detection with various PCF configurations and provides a comparison between existing conventional fluorescence methods for chemical and clinical applications. A critical insight into novel PCF based fluorescence sensing configurations, and their prospective/potential applications will be discussed. Future perspectives on translating such probes as an optofluidic biopsy needle for clinically relevant biomarker detection will also be included.

Automated summary

Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) have unique light-guiding properties and have been widely studied for biomedical applications. PCF-based fluorescence sensors offer highly sensitive detection of biomolecules at low sample volumes. This review discusses recent advancements in fluorescence detection using different PCF configurations and compares them with conventional fluorescence methods. Prospective applications of PCF-based fluorescence sensing and their potential use as optofluidic biopsy needles for clinically relevant biomarker detection are also discussed.