Confocal Microscope Studies of Living Cells Deposited Using Alternating Current Electrophoretic Deposition (AC-EPD)

Abstract

The recent development of the alternating current electrophoretic deposition (AC-EPD) technique has rendered it possible to deposit material from aqueous suspensions while preventing the electrochemical reactions associated with the application of high voltages on such systems. This does not only allow for more economical and ecological processes but also opens up electrophoretic deposition as a processing technique to a whole range of materials sensitive to either electrochemical reactions or non-aqueous solvents. Living cells can be considered as one class of such materials. In this paper the deposition of two types of bacteria, the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli , and one type of yeast cells, Saccharomyces cerevisiae , is demonstrated.