“…Second, a mechanically enhanced PEG/PAA double-network is a particularly advantageous combination for an optical device due to the hydrophilicity, mutual miscibility, and high protein-resistivity of PEG and PAA (Cruise et al, 1998;Czeslik et al, 2004;Myung et al, 2005;Olabisi et al, 1979;Padmavathi and Chatterji, 1996;Wittemann et al, 2003). Third, PHEA is a hydrophilic, cytocompatible, and rapidly photopolymerizing network that can readily interpenetrate with PEG and PAA and be patterned with high fidelity due to a low degree of swelling after polymerization (Gao et al, 2003;Guan et al, 2000;Moser et al, 1992). Fourth, the application of photolithographic patterning provides both spatial and temporal control over the conversion of a liquid monomer solution into a gel, allowing complex shapes to be fabricated (Albrecht et al, 2005;Liu and Bhatia, 2002;Nguyen and West, 2002;Tsang and Bhatia, 2004).…”