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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik
DY 52: Focus Session: Wetting on Adaptive Substrates III (joint session CPP/DY/O)
DY 52.8: Talk
Friday, March 22, 2024, 12:00–12:15, H 0110
Modeling the growth of biofilms on soft substrates — •Anthony Pietz1, Karin John2, and Thiele Uwe3 — 1Institute for theoretical physics, University of Münster — 2Institute for theoretical physics, University of Münster — 3Research Associate at the CNRS Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique LIPhy Grenoble - France
We investigate the influence of substrate softness on biofilm growth amending the thin-film model developed by Trinschek et al for rigid solid substrates [1] by the inclusion of a simple description of an elastic substrate [2]. Wettability (described in the mesoscopic model by a wetting energy) is a key factor in the transition between arrested and continuous spreading on rigid substrates [1]. Our focus are changes in the spreading process with changing character of the substrate studied by time simulations of 2d drops/biofilms at fixed surface tension and initial drop volume. We find that with increasing softness from rigid via elastic to liquid-like substrate the spreading velocity of the biofilm decreases at fixed biofilm growth rate and wettability. Further, we discus how these changes depend on wettability and growth rate. In particular, we show that the transition between arrested and continuous spreading is for increasing softness shifted towards larger wettability and larger growth rate.
[1] S. Trinschek, K. John, S. Lecuyer, and U. Thiele, Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 078003 (2017).
[2] C. Henkel, J. H. Snoeijer, and U. Thiele, Soft Matter 17, 10359 (2021).
Keywords: bacterial colonies; biofilm; biophysical modelling; soft elastic substrate; continuum thin-film modelling