Thermally switchable polymers achieve controlled Escherichia coli detachment.

ABSTRACT: The thermally triggered release of up to 96% of attached uropathogenic E. coli is achieved on two polymers with opposite changes in surface wettability upon reduction in temperature. This demonstrates that the bacterial attachment to a surface cannot be explained in terms of water contact angle alone; rather, the surface composition of the polymer plays the key role.

SUBMITTER: Hook AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4107026 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature