Optical sensors of volatile organic compounds for non-invasive diagnosis of diseases

Rapid detection technology for human and animal diseases is essential in human health and animal production, most of which are invasive. Accompanying the development of metabolomics, a new sensing/biosensing strategy based on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has recently emerged as one of the most promising solutions for diagnosing diseases in a non-invasive way. Significantly, recent years have witnessed the blooming of new materials to enable the new design and performance enhancement of VOC sensors/biosensors. This review summarizes recent advances in VOC optical sensors for diagnosing human and animal diseases in recent years (2018-2023). Firstly, the metabolomics for the development of VOC as biomarkers of diseases is introduced. Then, optical VOC sensors are emphasized regarding sensing mechanisms. Significantly, the critical roles of novel materials that enabled the new design and significant performance enhancement of sensors are highlighted and discussed. Finally, a perspective towards the future VOC sensors is proposed. This review may provide new information to understand the progress of optical VOC sensor -based disease diagnosis methods and the advancing of novel materials in the sensing field.