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Universal quantifier derived from AFM analysis links cellular mechanical properties and cell-surface integration forces with microbial deposition and transport behavior.

In this study, we employed AFM analysis combined with mathematical modeling for quantifying cell-surface contact mechanics and magnitude and range of cell-surface interaction forces for seven bacterial strains with a wide range of cell morphology, dimension, and surface characteristics. Comprehensive cell-surface characterization including surface charge, extracellular polymeric substance content, hydrophobicity, and cell-cell aggregation analyses were performed. Flow-through column tests were employed to determine the attachment efficiency and deposition-transport behavior of these bacterial strains. No statistically significant correlation between attachment efficiency and any single-cell surface property was identified. Single-cell characterization by atomic force microscopy (AFM) yielded the mechanical deformation and elastic modulus, penetration resistance to AFM probe penetration by cellular surface substances (CSS), range and magnitude of the repulsive-attractive intersurface forces, and geometry of each strain. We proposed and derived a universal dimensionless modified Tabor's parameter to integrate all these properties that account for their collective behavior. Results showed that the Tabor parameter derived from AFM analysis correlated well with experimentally determined attachment efficiency (α), which therefore is able to link microscale cell-surface properties with macroscale bacterial transport behavior. Results suggested that the AFM tests performed between a single cell and a surface captured the key quantities of the interactions between the cell and the surface that dictate overall cell attachment behavior. Tabor's parameter therefore can be potentially incorporated into the microbial transport model.