Motile bacteria crossing liquid-liquid interfaces

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Cheon, Jiyong, Son, Joowang, Lim, Sungbin, Jeong, Yundon, Park, Jung-Hoon, Mitchell, Robert J., Kim, Jaeup U., Jeong, Joonwoo
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Cheon, Jiyong
Son, Joowang
Lim, Sungbin
Jeong, Yundon
Park, Jung-Hoon
Mitchell, Robert J.
Kim, Jaeup U.
Jeong, Joonwoo
author_facet Cheon, Jiyong
Son, Joowang
Lim, Sungbin
Jeong, Yundon
Park, Jung-Hoon
Mitchell, Robert J.
Kim, Jaeup U.
Jeong, Joonwoo
contents Real-life bacteria often swim in complex fluids, but our understanding of the interactions between bacteria and complex surroundings is still evolving. In this work, rod-like \textit{Bacillus subtilis} swims in a quasi-2D environment with aqueous liquid-liquid interfaces, i.e., the isotropic-nematic coexistence phase of an aqueous chromonic liquid crystal. Focusing on the bacteria motion near and at the liquid-liquid interfaces, we collect and quantify bacterial trajectories ranging across the isotropic to the nematic phase. Despite its small magnitude, the interfacial tension of the order of 10 $\mathrm{μN/m}$ at the isotropic-nematic interface justifies our observations that bacteria swimming more perpendicular to the interface have a higher probability of crossing the interface. Our force-balance model, considering the interfacial tension, further predicts how the length and speed of the bacteria affect their crossing behaviors. We also find, as soon as the bacteria cross the interface and enter the nematic phase, they wiggle less, but faster, and that this occurs as the flagellar bundles aggregate within the nematic phase.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2402_05095
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Motile bacteria crossing liquid-liquid interfaces
Cheon, Jiyong
Son, Joowang
Lim, Sungbin
Jeong, Yundon
Park, Jung-Hoon
Mitchell, Robert J.
Kim, Jaeup U.
Jeong, Joonwoo
Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
Real-life bacteria often swim in complex fluids, but our understanding of the interactions between bacteria and complex surroundings is still evolving. In this work, rod-like \textit{Bacillus subtilis} swims in a quasi-2D environment with aqueous liquid-liquid interfaces, i.e., the isotropic-nematic coexistence phase of an aqueous chromonic liquid crystal. Focusing on the bacteria motion near and at the liquid-liquid interfaces, we collect and quantify bacterial trajectories ranging across the isotropic to the nematic phase. Despite its small magnitude, the interfacial tension of the order of 10 $\mathrm{μN/m}$ at the isotropic-nematic interface justifies our observations that bacteria swimming more perpendicular to the interface have a higher probability of crossing the interface. Our force-balance model, considering the interfacial tension, further predicts how the length and speed of the bacteria affect their crossing behaviors. We also find, as soon as the bacteria cross the interface and enter the nematic phase, they wiggle less, but faster, and that this occurs as the flagellar bundles aggregate within the nematic phase.
title Motile bacteria crossing liquid-liquid interfaces
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.05095