Abstract

Sorting and detection of enantiomers hold critical importance in biomedical, chemical, and pharmacological sciences due to their fundamental role in molecular interactions and therapeutic efficacy. Over the past two decades, diverse chemical, biophysical, and microfluidic methodologies have been developed for chiral enantiomer sorting and detection.

While these approaches have demonstrated significant capabilities, optical techniques have attracted increasing interest due to their intrinsic advantages, including rapid analysis, minimal sample consumption, and non-invasive operation. This review comprehensively overviews recent advances in optical methods for chiral enantiomer sorting and detection. We focus on emerging optical concepts, including exotic optical forces and engineered light fields, such as bound states in the continuum and metasurfaces, and analyze their operational principles, capabilities, and inherent limitations. Furthermore, we investigate the growing impact of artificial intelligence in reshaping optical sorting and sensing strategies, particularly its role in improving analytical precision and enabling autonomous operation.

The review concludes with a forward-looking perspective, discussing persistent challenges like system scalability and real-world implementation while outlining promising future directions, including integrated lab-on-chip platforms and advanced chiral metamaterials.