FRIDAY, November 16, 2007
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 PM
Constant 1002

Title: Phase Field Models for Biofilms

Prof. Qi Wang
Department of Mathematics
Director of Applied and Compuational Mathematics Program
Florida State University

Biofilms are ubiquitous in medical devices, environmental science and engineering, and civil engineering fields. Understanding the growth of the biofilm on substrates under various conditions can have a significant economical and scientific significance. In this talk, I will present a complex fluid model based on a phase field formalism accounting for the nutrient substrate and bacterial contribution to the biofilm dynamics. We present the linear stability analysis of the model as well as nonlinear front evolution in solvent environment. The polymer network dynamics as well as its impact to the biofilm growth will be discussed.