Interactions between bacteria and oil/water interfaces underpin technologies in wastewater treatment, in bioremediation, and in droplet microfluidics for pathogen detection, antibiotic susceptibility, and biotechnological selection. How the presence of surfactants, used to stabilize droplets or alter their size and interfacial tension, influence adhesion remains incompletely understood. Here, I will describe experiments in which we use microfluidics and microscopy to characterize adhesion of bacteria at the interface of dispersed hydrocarbons. We use as model organisms several species of marine bacteria that are found near oil spills and can degrade hydrocarbons, including Halomonas titanicae, Shewanella haliotis, Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus. Specifically, I will show that adhesion of non-motile M. hydrocarbonoclasticus depends on droplet radius and surfactant type and concentration and can be modeled using Langmuir adsorption, and that (chemotactic) motility enhances the accumulation of bacteria on the interface. Finally, I will show that adherent, motile marine bacteria can be used to drive rotation of droplets near surfaces. These results demonstrate that surfactants can strongly alter bacterial interactions with and accumulation on dispersed hydrocarbons, with consequences for active manipulation of droplets.

Adhesion of bacteria at surfactant-decorated oil/water interfaces

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.