Synonyms
Definition
Biofilms are aggregations of microbes that are encased by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and adhere to surfaces or interfaces. Biofilms exist in a very wide diversity of environments, and microfluidic devices are being increasingly utilized to study and understand their formation and properties.
Overview
Microbes often form aggregates on interfaces, and due to a production of EPS, the aggregates become encased in a matrix [1]. Though microbes in a biofilm are physiologically distinct from bacteria growing in a free swimming state (planktonic bacteria), biofilm growth is a complex process that is typically initiated by planktonic bacteria themselves. Biofilm growth is initiated with bacterial adhesion to a surface, followed by events such as growth, EPS secretion, and morphological and physiological changes. Microbial biofilms are excellent examples of multi-scale phenomena. Cell-to-cell communication, which plays a role...
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Acknowledgments
A. Kumar performed the work as a Eugene P. Wigner Fellow at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The authors acknowledge research support from the US Department of Energy (US DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Sciences. ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the US DOE under Contract no. DEAC05-00OR22725.
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Neethirajan, S., Karig, D., Kumar, A., Mukherjee, P.P., Retterer, S.T., Doktycz, M.J. (2012). Biofilms in Microfluidic Devices. In: Bhushan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9751-4_427
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9751-4_427
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