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

Bacterial fouling is a persistent problem causing the deterioration and failure of functional surfaces for industrial equipment/components; numerous human, animal, and plant infections/diseases; and energy waste due to the inefficiencies at internal and external geometries of transport systems. This work gains new insights into the effect of surface roughness on bacterial fouling by systematically studying bacterial adhesion on model hydrophobic (methyl-terminated) surfaces with roughness scales spanning from ∼2 nm to ∼390 nm. Additionally, a surface energy integration framework is developed to elucidate the role of surface roughness on the energetics of bacteria and substrate interactions. For a given…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Awards: 1826250, 1511626
• UD
  U.S. Department of Agriculture

  Awards: 2019-68015-29231, TEX09762, A1363 [2019-68015- 29231]
• NR
  National Research Foundation
• NR
  National Research Foundation of Korea

  Award: 2019R1G1A1100629
• GR
  Gyeonggi-do Regional Research Center
• MO
  Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea
• NI
  National Institute of Food and Agriculture

  Awards: 2019-68015-29231, 2021-07786, TEX09762
• DO
  Division of Materials Research
• DO
  Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems

  Award: 1511626
• DO
  Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation

  Award: 1826250