Porous silicon-based sensor to detect biofilm growth

Identifier:  TFM:1220

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TFM1220

Authors:  O'Connor, Fearghal

Abstract:
Bacteria preferentially exist in a sessile or biofilm state which is implicated directly or indirectly in numerous issues across a wide variety of industries and sectors. Once mature, biofilms are very difficult to remove and due to their properties are resistant to chemical and physical stresses. The biofilm formation process is a complex and sequential one. Such complexity might be one of the reasons why there is a lack of identified early indicators of biofilm formation and available early detection methods. Conventional methods to detect biofilms rely on destructive techniques with relatively long turnaround times on obtaining results. This is unsuitable for certain fields such as in the clinic where early intervention has a favourable impact on whether a treatment is successful or not. Here we describe the fabrication process of porous silicon (pSi) substrates, with different surface modifications, that are able to act as an electrochemical sensing platform, and investigate their suitability as substrates for biofilm growth.