Characterization of bacteria swarming effect under plasmonic optical fiber illumination

SIGNIFICANCE: Plasmo-thermo-electrophoresis (PTEP) involves using plasmonic microstructures to generate both a large-scale convection current and a near-field attraction force (thermo-electrophoresis). These effects facilitate the collective locomotion (i.e., swarming) of microscale particles in suspension, which can be utilized for numerous applications, such as particle/cell manipulation and targeted drug delivery. However, to date, PTEP for ensemble manipulation has not been well characterized, meaning its potential is yet to be realized. AIM: Our study aims to provide a characterization of PTEP on the motion and swarming effect of various particles and bacterial cells to allow rational design for bacteria-based microrobots and drug delivery applications. APPROACH: Plasmonic optical fibers (POFs) were fabricated using two-photon polymerization. The particle motion and swarming behavior near the tips of optical fibers were characterized by image-based particle tracking and analyzing the spatiotemporal concentration variation. These results were further correlated with the shape and surface charge of the particles defined by the zeta potential. RESULTS: The PTEP demonstrated a drag force ranging from a few hundred fN to a few tens of pN using the POFs. Furthermore, bacteria with the greater (negative) zeta potential ([Formula: see text]) and smoother shape (e.g., Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli) exhibited the greatest swarming behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The characterization of PTEP-based bacteria swarming behavior investigated in our study can help predict the expected swarming behavior of given particles/bacterial cells. As such, this may aid in realizing the potential of PTEP in the wide-ranging applications highlighted above.