A holographic sensor is a device that comprises a hologram embedded in a smart material that detects certain molecules or metabolites.[1] This detection is usually a chemical interaction that is transduced as a change in one of the properties of the holographic reflection (as in the Bragg reflector), either refractive index or spacing between the holographic fringes.[2] The specificity of the sensor can be controlled by adding molecules in the polymer film that selectively interacts with the molecules of interest.
A holographic sensor aims to integrate the sensor component, the transducer and the display in one device for fast reading of molecular concentrations based in colorful reflections or wavelengths.[3]
Certain molecules that mimic biomolecule active sites or binding sites can be incorporated into the polymer that forms the holographic film in order to make the holographic sensors selective and/or sensitive to certain medical important molecules like glucose, etc.
The holographic sensors can be read from a fair distance[quantify] because the transducer element is light that has been refracted and reflected by the holographic grating embedded in the sensor. Therefore, they can be used in industrial applications where non-contact with the sensor is required. Other applications for holographic sensors are anti-counterfeiting [4]