'Biological interfaces' are microbial communities (e.g. bacteria and algae) that are built at interfaces in aqueous environments. Such systems exist in the natural environment as well as in technical plants and are also referred to as 'biofilms'.
Biofilms have a complex structure that is described on a wide range of size scales and is directly related to the cultivation conditions and the mass transport and mass transfer characteristics.
The targeted use and combination of modern microscopic and spectroscopic approaches to structure elucidation, investigations of mass transport and mass turnover (including sensor technology) and the use of adapted multidimensional simulations serve to qualify and quantify the fundamental laws underlying biofilm development.
Images: OCT - Optical Coherence Tomography (left), OCT image of a biofilm (middle), methane reactor (right)