Fig. 5: Switchable fuel-strand/light-stimulated aggregation/deaggregation of CDMDs accompanied by stimuli-responsive patterning of the microcompartments domains in the aggregated/separated CDMDs states.

A Formation of separated single microcompartmentalized CDMDs by invasion of the barcode modified CDMDs with blue/red duplexes S2-L2, state P. Subjecting CDMDs in state P to photoresponsive fuel strand F2 results in the displacement of S1-L2-Bs1 units leading to the aggregation of CDMDs through self-complementary domain of S2 accompanied by the reconfigured red and blue patterned bi-compartmentalized in the aggregated CDMDs, state Q. UV light-degradation of F2 in the aggregated CDMDs lead to the dynamic separation of the CDMDs into revealing single patterned microcompartments. B Confocal fluorescence microscopy images corresponding to the formation of separated CDMDs, state P, by invading the CDMDs with strand S2-L2, and the switchable patterned bi-compartmentalized blue/red aggregated CDMDs, state Q, separated into the single patterned microcompartmentalized CDMDs, state P (Indistinguishable images were obtained in n = 5 independent experiments). C Switchable size-changes (i) and red fluorescence changes (ii) of inner microcompartment domain upon reversible F2 and light-induced aggregation/deaggregation of the CDMDs. Data are presented as mean values ± SD, error bars are derived from n = 5 experiments.