Color Catcher Sheets for the Construction of Low-Cost, Planar Optical Sensors

Color catcher sheets, developed to prevent color runs during the washing process, have found interesting applications in (bio)analytical chemistry. Both native and modified sheets can be used as low-cost, planar optical sensors for the analysis of various dyes and as a carrier for immobilization of specific ligands. Changes of sensor color can be observed by spectrophotometry or using an image analysis. Portable devices including smartphones and corresponding applications can substantially accelerate the assays. Low-cost color catcher sheets do not require any activation and can be employed for wide variety of analytical applications. This mini-review covers recent advances in the progressive applications of color catcher sheets.