Fundamental Interactions of Microbes and Microbial Communities with Materials

As a community, we are still trying to understand how microorganisms fundamentally interact with the surface of materials, within a biofilm, and how these interactions can impact technologies, especially biomedical technologies. This session will highlight the biophysical and physicochemical interactions of microbes with polymeric, metal, and ceramic materials. Experimental and computational insights into the chemical, biological, rheological, and other characterization of microbial communities would fit well within this topic. Additionally, mechanisms by which device failures occur as a result of microbial interactions with materials, including stents, catheters, orthopedic and dental implants, are also encouraged.