Chemically tunable lensing of stimuli-responsive hydrogel microdomes

Chemically tunable hydrogel microlenses have been developed from acrylamide hydrogels based on covalently bound hinge-motion binding proteins, like calmodulin, and low affinity ligands, i.e. phenothiazine. Initially the protein binds to phenothiazine forming chemical crosslinks within the hydrogel, which are released in the forming chemical crosslinks within the hydrogel, which are released in the presence of the higher affinity ligand chlorpromazine resulting in the swelling of the microlenses.