(107e) Mechano-Morphogenesis and the Capillary Peeling of Biofilms

Biofilms are surface-attached communities of bacteria that can damage industrial systems and cause serious infections in human health and fouling, while biofilms can be useful in wastewater treatment and microbial fuel cells. A comprehensive understanding of both the biological and physical properties of biofilms, and the way these properties interrelate, is necessary, though these properties are underappreciated. Here we use the model biofilm forming bacterium Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the pandemic disease cholera, to investigate the structure-property relationship of biofilm materials. Furthermore, by systematically quantifying the interfacial energy of V. cholerae biofilms, we identify capillary peeling as an efficient, easy technique to remove biofilms and to transfer biofilms from one surface to another without destroying their internal structures. Finally, we use the bulk rheological properties and the surface adhesion energy to rationalize the wrinkled shapes associated with various biofilm phenotypes, which here are given a mechanical interpretation.