Thermodynamics Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Thermodynamics, including details on enthalpy, entropy, energy transitions.

Time lapse confocal microscopy studies of bacterial adhesion to self-assembled monolayers and confirmation of a novel approach to the thermodynamic model.

Power L, Itier S, Hawton M, Schraft H

Department of Physics, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada P7B 5E1.

In this study, we use thermodynamic theory to develop a novel model that allows for the quantitative determination of the Gibbs free energy of adhesion for the initial bacterial attachment process. This model eliminates the need to calculate interfacial free energies and instead relies on easily measurable contact angles to determine DeltaG(adh). We experimentally verify our model using real-time observation of the initial attachment of Pseudomonas putida to methyl- and hydroxyl-terminated self-assembled monolayers. We also test the applicability of our model to a variety of experimental conditions using data available in the literature. We show that the initial attachment process is governed by dispersion forces and is accurately predicted by our model. Also, we find that our model is simple to apply and accurate for a variety of experimental conditions.

Published 1 May 2007 in Langmuir, 23(10): 5622-9.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Thermodynamics Research Today. All Rights Reserved.