Spatial pattern and surface-specificity of particle and microorganism deposition and attachment: Modeling, analytic solution and experimental test

Influence of Surface Roughness, Nanostructure, and Wetting on Bacterial Adhesion

“…For abiotic surfaces, bacterial adhesion (attachment) is a major problem leading to pathogenic contamination and/or performance losses of various devices, equipment, components, accessories, and vehicles used in healthcare, food and food packing, pipelines, and the maritime transportation industries. − For biotic surfaces, bacterial adhesion is the first step in bacterial infections, vegetable and fruit spoilage, and plant diseases. − At a colloidal level, bacterial adhesion to a surface corresponds to a transition from the planktonic state to the sessile state, involving several phases: (i) diffusive, convective, or flagellar motion of bacteria from bulk fluid until bacteria start to sense nanoscale intermolecular forces between bacteria and the surface, (ii) translocation of bacteria toward the surface due to the gradient of intermolecular interactions between bacteria and the surface along with the thermal energy, k B T , and flagellar kinetic energy (if present), (iii) approach of the bacterial cell wall or its appendages to the surface until the disjoining pressure of displacing the surface hydration layer is overcome, and (iv) molecular contact and anchoring between the substrate and bacterial wall/appendages. − …”