Biointerfacial Design to Manipulate Siderophore Production By Pseudomonas Aeruginosa without Soluble Chemical Intervention

Ample biointerfacial materials research has focused on biocidal or antifouling outcomes, yet some microbes can be utilized for advantageous qualities when allowed to colonize a surface under appropriate conditions. Our approach to harnessing these benefits involves the use of initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) to design polymer thin film coatings with properties that control the behavior of exposed bacteria. To uptake iron, an important life-sustaining element, a variety of microbes produce a secondary metabolite called a siderophore that has a high binding affinity for iron. The dynamics of this diffusive scavenging technique has a profound impact on competition between minute species in a shared ecosystem. The present work examines iCVD-generated polymer thin films that behave cooperatively in iron sequestration and change the expression of siderophores and biofilm formation by bacteria that contact surfaces coated with these films. The material characterized herein sets the stage for future work on tunable biointerfaces that influence microbial activity exclusively through surface phenomena without reliance on soluble elements.