Vapor-deposited polymer interfaces for high-resolution imaging and bio-integration

Vapor-deposited polymer films offer a solvent-free, scalable route to engineer optically functional biointerfaces with tunable geometry. Recently developed technologies, such as condensed droplet polymerization (CDP), enable the direct fabrication of polymer dome arrays (PDAs) with precise control over size, curvature, and array density, as key parameters for high-resolution imaging and cellular compatibility. This perspective highlights the unique advantages of CDP-based microlenses as solid immersion lenses for live-cell imaging, pointing to their potential integration into tissue scaffolds, point-of-care diagnostics, and drug delivery platforms. We further discuss how polymeric material selection could enable refractive index tuning, mechanical adaptability, and biocompatibility for diverse biological applications. These capabilities position CDP-fabricated microlenses as a multifunctional platform for high-resolution imaging and for exploring how precisely engineered surface curvatures influence curvature-mediated signaling, mechano-transduction, and intracellular communication.