Abstract
We present on a liquid crystal (LC)-based sensing platform for optical detection of SARS-CoV-2. The sensor platform has LCs hosted on metal salt substrates onto which the virus can competitively bind. The choice of the LC and metal salts are guided by computational simulations and Isothermal Titration Calorimetry measurements. We observe a striking orientational transition of 4-Cyano-4'-pentylbiphenyl (a thermotropic LC) hosted on zinc perchlorate substrates, from homeotropic to planar, upon the introduction of yeast decorated with SARS-CoV-2. The reversibility of the sensor design is verified through the recovery of the homeotropic orientation upon the addition of Anti-SARSCoV1/2 antibodies. The response time, as measured by the normalized optical grayscale intensity, is around 4 minutes. The development of this responsive LC-decorated sensor, albeit a detection mode via an aqueous interface provides with important knowledge for the development of LC sensors that can detect airborne CoVs.