Coupling scanning probe microscopy with nanofluidics for the electrochemical investigation of microorganisms at the nanoscale

Abstract

Thanks to the possibility of an extracellular electron transfer, electroactive bacteria and their biofilms can be successfully applied in bioenergetics. To fully benefit from the energy they generate, it is necessary to understand the electrochemical interactions between the microorganisms and the surface at the nanoscale level. Fluidic force microscopy (FluidFM), a combination of scanning probe microscopy and nanofluidics, is a recently introduced technique that can be used to investigate the effect of surface physicochemistry on bacterial attachment/detachment, to modify individual cells, to quantify the effect of electric current on cell adhesion, and to couple the results of electrical and mechanical properties of a living matter. This review provides an overview of the potentially wide applicability of FluidFM in the field of electromicrobiology, highlighting current research gaps being an attractive area for studies of the researchers aiming to fully understand the complex processes occurring within biofilms at the nanoscale level.