XPS and SIMS studies of surfaces important in biofilm formation. Three case studies

Although the importance of cell adhesion to synthetic surfaces is well established, a detailed description of the molecular interactions important in adhesion still eludes researchers. In order to fully understand the adhesion events that lead to biofilm formation on synthetic materials it is necessary to have an accurate understanding of the synthetic material surface, to understand the composition and orientation of biopolymers that adsorb to the material, and to understand the surface chemistry of cells that ultimately adhere. The simplest of these three surfaces, the synthetic material, commonly presents a profound level of complexity and presents a wide variety of chemical functional groups in many orientations at the surface. The conditioning film surface and cell surface show yet greater levels of complexity. The three case studies presented here demonstrate that XPS and SIMS are valuable techniques for studying all three of these surfaces. They are not only capable of providing an accurate analysis of the synthetic polymer surface but they are also sensitive to the composition and orientation of biomolecules. The potential for rapid characterization of cell surfaces with SIMS demonstrated in the final case study suggests that intelligent application of these techniques may ultimately aid in answering the elusive question of how cells adhere to synthetic surfaces.