Logo image
Back
Using SMART Magnetic Fluids and Gels for Prevention and Destruction of Bacterial Biofilms
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Using SMART Magnetic Fluids and Gels for Prevention and Destruction of Bacterial Biofilms

Jarosƚaw Król and Garth Ehrlich
Microorganisms (Basel), v 11(6), p1515
01 Jan 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11061515
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11061515View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)CC BY V4.0,  Open

Abstract

Antimicrobial agents Bacteria Biofilms Biofouling Catheters Cell culture Ferrofluids Gels Hydrocarbons Iron oxides Kerosene Magnetic fields Magnetic fluids Magnetorheological fluids Microorganisms Microparticles Nanoparticles Polyethylene glycol Smart fluids Solid surfaces Surfactants Tubes Viscosity
Biofouling is a major problem in all natural and artificial settings where solid surfaces meet liquids in the presence of living microorganisms. Microbes attach to the surface and form a multidimensional slime that protects them from unfavorable environments. These structures, known as biofilms, are detrimental and very hard to remove. Here, we used SMART magnetic fluids [ferrofluids (FFs), magnetorheological fluids (MRFs), and ferrogels (FGs) containing iron oxide nano/microparticles] and magnetic fields to remove bacterial biofilms from culture tubes, glass slides, multiwell plates, flow cells, and catheters. We compared the ability of different SMART fluids to remove biofilms and found that commercially available, as well as homemade, FFs, MRFs, and FGs can successfully remove biofilm more efficiently than traditional mechanical methods, especially from textured surfaces. In tested conditions, SMARTFs reduced bacterial biofilms by five orders of magnitude. The ability to remove biofilm increased with the amount of magnetic particles; therefore, MRFs, FG, and homemade FFs with high amounts of iron oxide were the most efficient. We showed also that SMART fluid deposition can protect a surface from bacterial attachment and biofilm formation. Possible applications of these technologies are discussed.

Metrics

10 Record Views
3 citations in Web of Science
1 citations in Scopus

Details

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

InCites Highlights

Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:

Web of Science research areas
Microbiology
Logo image