Progress and Outlooks in Designing Photonic Biosensor for Virus Detection

Abstract The recent outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) highlights the critical need for rapid, sensitive, and accurate virus detection methods to prevent and manage pandemics. Among the available sensing methods, photonic biosensors have emerged as a forefront technology, characterized by their high sensitivity, minimal analyte requirements, and suitability for miniaturization, making them ideal for point‐of‐care applications in virus detection. This review comprehensively summarizes the recent progress of photonic biosensor technologies, focusing on wavelength shift and luminescence‐based mechanisms. Their operational principles, general configurations, and the challenges associated with these technologies are looked into. An overview of the material developments used in photonic biosensors, encompassing organic, inorganic, and hybrid composite‐based materials is further presented. The discussion extends to surface functionalization using biorecognition elements, including DNA/RNA, aptamers, and antibodies, to craft the specificity of the photonic biosensors for viruses. Ultimately, the importance of a multidisciplinary approach is emphasized in developing new materials architecture, biological receptors, and modifications to photonic methods, aiming to realize better biosensors for virus detection with ultra‐high sensitivity, rapid response, and excellent selectivity.