Nearing 130 years since their introduction, liquid crystals (LCs) have found diverse applications in different fields of science, including chemical analysis. This review encompasses the history of LCs, reviews various types of them, and presents their current applications in analytical chemistry. Since most applications of LCs in analytical chemistry are for the fabrication of biosensors, these applications are discussed first. The high sensitivity of LCs to changes in their environment makes them ideal for such sensors. Using them, analyte concentrations as low as 1 pM have been detected. Another major application of LCs is in gas chromatography (GC) as stationary phases, which is described in the second part of this review. Using LCs in GC leads to better separations, higher sensitivity, and improved selectivity. Such phases provide higher stability in elevated temperatures and increased column life times. Finally, applications of LCs in electro-analytical chemistry will be described briefly.

中文翻译：

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分析化学中的液晶：综述。

液晶（LC）自推出以来已有近130年的时间，已在包括化学分析在内的不同科学领域中找到了广泛的应用。这篇综述涵盖了液相色谱的历史，综述了它们的各种类型，并介绍了它们在分析化学中的当前应用。由于LC在分析化学中的大多数应用是用于制造生物传感器，因此首先讨论这些应用。LC对环境变化的高度敏感性使其成为此类传感器的理想选择。使用它们，检测到的分析物浓度低至1 pM。LC的另一个主要应用是在气相色谱（GC）中作为固定相，这在本综述的第二部分中进行了介绍。在GC中使用LC可以实现更好的分离，更高的灵敏度和更高的选择性。此类相在高温下提供更高的稳定性，并增加了色谱柱的使用寿命。最后，将简要介绍LC在电分析化学中的应用。