Event details

Speaker:
Dr Farbod Alijani Dept. of Precision and Microsystems Engineering - Technical University Delft

In this talk, I will first show how by utilizing ultrathin(< 1 nm) graphene drums
nanoscale oscillations (nanomotion) of a single bacterium can be measured in
its growth environment. By experimenting with a series of bacterial cells and
blocking one-by-one different routes of nanomotion, I discuss the nature of
these random-like oscillations and elaborate on the role of motility on the
observed signals. I will then demonstrate how vibrations of graphene drums
can detect antimicrobial resistance at the single-cell level and discuss the
prospects of suspended graphene membranes as highly sensitive drug
screening devices. Finally, and on a more fundamental level, I show how by
devising arrays of microcavities, the motion of singled-out bacteria gets
coupled to one another and how synchronous oscillations between coupled
bacterial oscillators can be engineered and even potentially controlled.