Functional biomimetic optical devices

The diversity of biological sensing and biocatalysis is astounding. A considerable effort has been directed at not only understanding the mechanism of these biological processes, but also how this activity can be maintained or duplicated in an artificial environment. We will present work on the formation of functional optical devices that convert biological responses into optical signals through changes in diffraction efficiency and reflection angle. By incorporating biomolecules into monomer systems that can be cured using a two-photon polymerization mechanism, greater spatial resolution and increased biological viability can be achieved. The polymer can be nanopatterned using ultrafast nonlinear holography to create a functional BioMEMS device. Additionally, we will discuss the characterization of the bioniolecules and the processing of the gratings that incorporate these functional proteins. This approach is a first step towards the development of a hybrid organic-inorganic composite device.