Hydrogel-Based Colloidal Photonic Crystal Devices for Glucose Sensing.

Diabetes, a common epidemic disease, is increasingly hazardous to human health. Monitoring body glucose concentrations for the prevention and therapy of diabetes has become very important. Hydrogel-based responsive photonic crystal (PC) materials are noninvasive options for glucose detection. This article reviews glucose-sensing materials/devices composed of hydrogels and colloidal photonic crystals (CPCs), including the construction of 2D/3D CPCs and 2D/3D hydrogel-based CPCs (HCPCs). The development and mechanisms of glucose-responsive hydrogels and the achieved technologies of HCPC glucose sensors were also concluded. This review concludes by showing a perspective for the future design of CPC glucose biosensors with functional hydrogels.