Mechanisms involved in surface biocontamination?
Development of surface-modified plastic materials and biocontamination control

The various studies carried out to date to understand the mechanisms involved in surface biocontamination have highlighted two main stages in setting up the bioadhesive process:

• transport of cells to the receptor support ;

• membership itself.

While transport has been linked to the surrounding hydrodynamic conditions, adhesion depends on the physico-chemical interactions that can be established between the surfaces of the bodies involved. As with any interfacial phenomenon, these interactions are directly linked to the physico-chemical surface characteristics of the cells and the receiving support (electrical charge, hydrophobic/hydrophilic character, Lewis acid-base and van der Waals properties).

Once the first two stages of the bioadhesive phenomenon...