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The aim of this investigation was to study the adhesion of bacteria and algae using optical microscopy, and consists of two parts. The first part involves Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis bacterial adhesion on modified polyvinyl chloride (PVC – a material with various biomedical applications) surfaces. In this investigation, PVC substrates were modified by imprint lithography and bacterial adhesion was performed to determine the influence of the imprinted surface structures on bio-adhesion. The effects of incubation condition were also studied by performing the bacterial exposures of the samples under both shaken and stationary conditions. Data were generated by analyzing the optical microscopy images of the substrates after Gram staining, using Sigma Scan Pro (Jandel Corporation) software. The results indicate that bacterial adhesion depends on the surface properties, incubation condition and the type of bacteria. The second part of this investigation involves adhesion of cyanobacteria or blue-green algae on oxidized Zr-705 alloys. Optical microscopy and Sigma Scan Pro software were used to study the effects of substrate oxide thickness on the propensity for algae adhesion and growth. The results show that algae adhesion depends on how much the Zr-705 surfaces are oxidized. This is relevant to water purification and transport technologies, since algae growth on piping can adversely affect water quality. |
