Modelling mechanical characteristics of microbial biofilms by network theory
Modelling mechanical characteristics of microbial biofilms by network theory
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DOI：
10.1098/rsif.2012.0676
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发表时间：
2013-01-06
影响因子：
3.9
通讯作者：
Boel, Markus
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ehret, Alexander E.;Boel, Markus
在这篇文章中，我们提出了一个本构模型来描述微生物生物膜的力学行为，该模型基于聚合物网络连续统理论中的经典方法。虽然该模型是专门针对由粘液样铜绿假单胞菌菌株形成的生物膜而开发的，但它很容易适用于其他生物膜。该模型背后的基本假设是，细胞外聚合物质网络可以被描述为蠕虫状链网络的叠加，每个链网络都由特定寿命的瞬时连接连接。以前应用于生物膜的几个模型作为特殊情况包括在提出的方法中，对于小剪切应变，控制方程是四个平行的麦克斯韦单元。在文献中给出的流变学数据非常充分地捕获了所提出的模型，并且在大应变下的一系列压缩试验的模拟响应与所报告的实验行为在定性上是一致的。
In this contribution, we present a constitutive model to describe the mechanical behaviour of microbial biofilms based on classical approaches in the continuum theory of polymer networks. Although the model is particularly developed for the well-studied biofilms formed by mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, it could easily be adapted to other biofilms. The basic assumption behind the model is that the network of extracellular polymeric substances can be described as a superposition of worm-like chain networks, each connected by transient junctions of a certain lifetime. Several models that were applied to biofilms previously are included in the presented approach as special cases, and for small shear strains, the governing equations are those of four parallel Maxwell elements. Rheological data given in the literature are very adequately captured by the proposed model, and the simulated response for a series of compression tests at large strains is in good qualitative agreement with reported experimental behaviour.