New research from the University of Arkansas could lead to an inexpensive, at-home COVID-19 test that uses liquid crystals to deliver results in less than two minutes. The technology can accurately detect trace amounts of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, so that early and asymptomatic cases will be detected.

The research appears in Advanced Materials Technologies. The corresponding authors are Karthik Nayani, assistant professor of chemical engineering, and Homa Ghaiedi, a U of A doctoral candidate when the research was conducted, who now works in industry.

Liquid crystals are rod-shaped molecules that align themselves in the same orientation. In an LCD television or display, an electric voltage changes the orientation, blocking or letting light pass through like blinds on a window.