Bubbles are everywhere: in fizzy drinks, baths and the stock market.
Although bubbles may seem delicate and ready to pop at the slightest disturbance, a new paper in Science Advances shows that they can be a powerful force to remove cells from surfaces without causing damage.
The authors placed gold-coated glass into an algae solution. Some algae cells stuck to the surface, forming a film. As the gold layer is conductive, connecting it to a second electrode created an electric circuit. Applying a current caused surrounding water to split into bubbles of hydrogen and oxygen.
When these bubbles interacted with the algae-covered surface:
- stress forces were generated beneath the bubble
- algae cells detached from the surface
- living cells returned to solution without damage
The bubble cleaning method was tested in salt-containing freshwater. To stop chlorine from the salt reacting to produce bleach, the second platinum electrode was surrounded by a protective membrane.
Why does this matter?
Technologies are being developed that use cell cultures to absorb carbon dioxide, create biofuels and manufacture medicines. When these cultures are grown in containers, cells can stick to the surfaces. This causes waste, time-consuming cleaning and blockage of light needed for some cells to grow. Current cleaning by mechanical methods or with enzymes can harm the cells. Creating a damage-free alternative will help to optimise future bioreactors and cell cultures.
Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adu3708 from AAAS
Bert Vandereydt, Baptiste Blanc, Kripa K. Varanasi, Bubble-driven cell detachment, Sci. Adv., 2025, eadu3708