A versatile and rapidly deployable device to enable spatiotemporal observations of the sessile microbes and environmental surfaces

Abstract

Although microbes typically associate with surfaces, detailed observations of surface-associated microbes on natural substrata are technically challenging. We herein introduce a flow channel device named the Stickable Flow Device, which is easily configurable and deployable on various surfaces for the microscopic imaging of environmental microbes. We demonstrated the utility of this device by creating a flow channel on different types of surfaces including live leaves. This device enables the real-time imaging of bacterial biofilms and their substrata. The Stickable Flow Device expands the limits of conventional real-time imaging systems, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of microbe-surface interactions on various surfaces.