Determinations of diffusion in biofilms and hydrogels

To properly evaluate environmental risk, one must be able to determine the mobility of solutes (including contaminants) in biofilms, soils, sediments and waters. At the microscale, mass transport is often by diffusion. Recent work has carefully related the diffusive fluxes of contaminants and contaminant probes to the structure of model hydrogels and biofilms. This work is important both for optimizing biosensor design and for better understanding contaminant mobility in the environment. It is also helping us better understand the fluxes of solutes through biomedical biofilms, which should lead to better antibiotics and microbial treatments.

This content has been updated on 20 June 2023 at 15 h 31 min.