Microbial stir bars: Light-activated rotation of tethered bacterial cells to enhance mixing in stagnant fluids.

Microfluidics devices are gaining significant interest in biomedical applications. However, in a micron-scale device, reaction speed is often limited by the slow rate of diffusion of the reagents. Several active and passive micro-mixers have been fabricated to enhance mixing in microfluidic devices.

Separation and enrichment of sodium-motile bacteria using cost-effective microfluidics.

Many motile bacteria are propelled by the rotation of flagellar filaments. This rotation is driven by a membrane protein known as the stator-complex, which drives the rotor of the bacterial flagellar motor. Torque generation is powered in most cases by proton transit through membrane protein complexes known as stators, with the next most common ionic power source being sodium.

Microfluidic techniques for separation of bacterial cells via taxis.

The microbial environment is typically within a fluid and the key processes happen at the microscopic scale where viscosity dominates over inertial forces. Microfluidic tools are thus well suited to study microbial motility because they offer precise control of spatial structures and are ideal for the generation of laminar fluid flows with low Reynolds numbers at microbial lengthscales. These tools have been used in combination with microscopy platforms to visualise and study various microbial taxes.