Disclosed methods include formulating azobenzene-based polymer networks to induce a modulus change in a highly crosslinked polymer, in vivo, with no external heat requirement and using a benign light as the source of stimuli. A modulus change can be achieved via a coating on the substrate and within the bulk of the substrate via photoexposure. The azobenzene-based polymer network can be formed as a coating or in the bulk of a material from either a glassy composition comprising methyl methacrylate (MMA), poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) or a soft material comprising of long-chain difunctional acrylates. The disclosed technology also includes methods of biofilm disruption and removal from the surface of a substrate, and includes methods of inhibiting biofilm growth and cell attachment to a substrate.