Bacterial Microfluidics: The Physics and
Engineering of Flagellated Bacteria
Professor Kenny Breuer
Division of Engineering
Brown University
Flagellated bacteria, such as E. Coli, propel themselves
using multiple flagella - long, thin helical filaments - that are
rotated using nanoscale motors. We will discuss a few
aspects of the fluid mechanics associated with bacterial motility,
studied using scale modeling, numerical simulations and microscale
experiments. The phenomena explored include the mechanics of flagellar
bundling, in which several distinct filaments combine into a single
helical bundle via viscous hydrodynamic interactions, the flow fields
associated with viscous helical motions, and mechanisms for
hydrodynamic synchronization of adjacent flagella motion. We will
also (briefly) show how the flagella motion can be harnessed in
engineered systems to enhance low Reynolds number mixing, to pump
fluids, and to transport objects through microfluidic systems.