2.2.2 Non-specific physicochemical interactions
In non-specific physical-chemical interactions, the adhesion of
bacterial appendages and proteins occurs through non-covalent
interactions with specific chemical components on the surface. The
interactions, in this case, are mainly van der Waals (usually
attractive), electrostatic (usually repulsive), hydrophobic, or
acid-base interactions (attractive or repulsive) but are influenced by
the composition of the medium, the pH of the environment, pressure,
nutrients, oxygen and the nature of the surface[12,27-30].
These interactions are related to the distance from the bacteria to the
material surface. Usually, when the distance is greater than 50 nm, the
van der Waals force plays a major role, and when the distance is shorter
(10-20 nm), the van der Waals force and the electrostatic effect act
simultaneously [33]. When the distance is further
reduced to 1.5 nm, in addition to van der Waals and electrostatic
interactions, some specific interactions may also exist.[27].