ChEBE Faculty Research
Nehal Abu-Lail, Ph.D.
Friction and Bacteria
While the investigation of bacterial adhesion has been the focus of researchers at the micro scale, the frictional properties have been ignored. AFM can provide a great tool to investigate the frictional properties of bacteria and the surfaces they adhere to and relate them to the normal adhesion forces and to the structure obtained by imaging. Investigating friction effects on bacterial adhesion is mostly important from a medical point of view. Friction and bacteria combined can contribute dangerously and destructively to many problems. Examples on these problems are hair loss, acne development, diapers rash, and wound healing. The effect of friction can be easily investigated with AFM as a function of bacteria, surfaces, and environmental conditions. In this part of my research I would like to take advantage of the capability of AFM to be used as a lateral force microscopy. The direct impact of the results of this part of my research on many important medical problems is my primary motivation to investigate friction and bacteria.
Frictional force microscopy and its typical layout.