Programming the photoelasticity of hydrogels for label-free mechanosensing by a simultaneous birefringence-stress reader (SiBRe)

Abstract

We present a strategy to program hydrogel photoelasticity using rationally designed force-transducing crosslinkers. Enabled by a simultaneous birefringence-stress reader (SiBRe), we show that stress-induced unfolding of flexible linkers can amplify the optical response, establishing a robust, dye-free platform for quantitative mechanosensing.