Hydrophobic liquid-infused porous polymer surfaces for antibacterial applications.

Biofilms represent a fundamental problem in environmental biology, water technology, food hygiene as well as in medical and technical systems. Recently introduced slippery liquid-infused porous surface (SLIPS) showed great promise for preventing biofilm formation owing to the low surface energy of such surface in combination with its self-cleaning properties. In this study we demonstrated a novel hydrophobic liquid-infused porous poly(butyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) surface (slippery BMA-EDMA) with bacteria-resistance in BM2 mineral medium and long-term stability in aqueous environments.

Online monitoring of biofilm growth and activity using a combined multi-channel impedimetric and amperometric sensor.

Biofilms are ubiquitous in water interfaces and therefore influence our daily lives in an ambivalent manner. In medicine, infections can be attributed to biofilm formation. In technical systems, biofilms are causative agents for biocorrosion, contamination, and clogging processes and are responsible for shear force modification in marine systems.

Characterization of a chip-based bioreactor for three-dimensional cell cultivation via Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

We describe the characterization of a chip-based platform (3(D)-KITChip) for the three-dimensional cultivation of cells under perfusion conditions via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Besides the chip, the microfluidic system is comprised of a bioreactor housing, a medium supply, a pump for generating active flow conditions as well as a gas mixing station. The closed circulation loop is ideally suited for a characterization via MRI since the small bioreactor setup with active perfusion, driven by the pump from outside the coils, not only is completely MRI-compatible but also can be transferred into the magnetic coil of an experimental animal scanner.