Research projects are (co)financed by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
- Member of the University of Ljubljana: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
- Project code: Z2-60174
- Science: Engineering sciences and technologies
- SICRIS: Upscaling from individual cavitation bubble to cavitation cloud for increased bacterial inactivation
The project investigates cavitation as an environmentally friendly method for bacterial inactivation without the use of chemicals. It focuses on a fundamental understanding of the dynamics of individual microbubbles and their interactions within a cluster, enabling optimization of their effect on bacteria and biofilms. By combining experimental techniques with the development of microfluidic devices, the project introduces new approaches to controlled, energy-efficient cavitation at the microscale. Its goal is to develop advanced microcavitation systems that will enable precise targeting of cavitation energy for water treatment, sterilization, and other biotechnological applications. The project brings together expertise from the fields of mechanical engineering and microbiology and opens new pathways for sustainable solutions in industry and medicine.
The postdoctoral project is funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency of the Republic of Slovenia (ARIS).
The project team consists of postdoctoral researcher Dr. Žiga Pandur from the Laboratory for Water and Turbine Machines at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana.
The four main objectives of the project are: (O1) improvement of the experimental methodology for generating a single cavitation microbubble; (O2) development of a method for generating an organized cluster of cavitation microbubbles; (O3) development of a cavitation microchip; and (O4) investigation of the efficiency of bacterial inactivation under the presented cavitation conditions.
Original scientific article
DRAB, Mitja, IGLIČ, Aleš, STOPAR, David, PANDUR, Žiga. Spatiotemporal analysis of Escherichia coli membrane permeabilization and uptake kinetics induced by a single microbubble cavitation event. Scientific reports. 2025, vol. 15, [article no.] 42593, 12 str., ilustr. ISSN 2045-2322. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-26554-4, Repozitorij Univerze v Ljubljani – RUL, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-26554-4. [COBISS.SI-ID 259523587]
Published abstract of a scientific conference paper
PANDUR, Žiga, DRAB, Mitja, IGLIČ, Aleš, STOPAR, David. Membrane permeabilization and uptake kinetics of Eschericia coli induced by single-microbubble cavitation. V: European Joint Theory/Experiment Meeting on Membranes (EJTEMM) : 28th to 30th of January, Ljubljana, Slovenia. [S. l.: s. n.], 2026. 1 spletni vir. https://en.fe.uni-lj.si/ejtemm/book-of-abstracts/. [COBISS.SI-ID 267464963]