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Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Optical Control of Living Cells Electrical Activity by Conjugated Polymers
Published on: January 28, 2016
Polymeric materials that convert local fleeting signals into global macroscopic responses
Hyungwoo Kim1, Matthew S Baker1, Scott T Phillips1
1Department of Chemistry , The Pennsylvania State University , 104 Chemistry Building , University Park , PA 16802 , USA . Email: sphillips@psu.edu ; ; Tel: +1 814 867 2502.
Abstract:
We report a general design strategy for creating polymeric materials that are capable of providing global, macroscopic changes in their properties in response to specific local and fleeting stimuli. In a proof-of-concept demonstration, a single polymer is used, yet it enables selective responses to specific stimuli, and then internally drives a macroscopic change in the material (even in locations not exposed to the stimulus), where the magnitude of change is independent of the intensity of the applied stimulus.
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