Including Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Research Articles

Study on Atmospheric Distillation of Some Plain and Chemically Dispersed Crude Oils: Comparison of Yields and Fuel Quality of Distillate Fractions

This paper discusses the distillation behavior of the plain (control) and chemically dispersed crude oils. The oils used were paraffinic (denoted as P-RCP-I), naphthenic (denoted as P-RCN-II), and aromatic (denoted as P-RCA-III) crudes. The chemical dispersants used were anionic, cationic, and neutral surfactants including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and Triton X-100 (a branched p-octylphenol with an average of 9–10 ethylene oxide units). The effect of Dispersant-to-Oil ratio on the yields of distillate fractions (gasoline and diesel) was investigated. Looking at the results, we conclude that using chemically dispersed crudes enabled us to obtain better yields of light distillate fractions (F1 and F2) in comparison with the control. Among the dispersants used, the SDS was more effective in RCA-III crude where the yield of F1 increased significantly to 58% and that of residue decreased to 6%. The CTAB was found to be more effective in RCN-II crude, which gave a sign...

A Sensitive Microbead-Based Organic Media-Assisted Method for Proteomics Sample Preparation from Dilute and Denaturing Solutions.

We developed a robust and sensitive sample preparation method for proteomics termed microbead-based and organic-media-assisted proteolysis strategy (BOPs). BOPs combines two advantages of current techniques, (1) unbiased binding of reversed-phase polymeric microbeads to any type of protein and (2) enhanced trypsin digestion efficiency in CH3CN-aqueous solvent systems, into a single-tube workflow. Compared with conventional techniques, this method effectively concentrates proteins and improves proteolytic digestion, and can be used with submicromolar protein samples in dilute or denaturing solutions, such as 70% formic acid, 8 M urea, or 7 M guanidine hydrochloride without any sample pretreatment. Proteome analysis of single Caenorhabditis elegans organisms demonstrates that BOPs has the sensitivity, reproducibility, and unbiasedness required to characterize worm proteins at a single organism level. We also show that, by simply incorporating an acetone washing step for detergent removal, BOPs is applicable to low concentration samples contaminated with a variety of detergents, including sodium dodecyl sulfate, with negligible protein loss. Moreover, the utility of this modification has also been demonstrated through proteomic characterization of 2000 human (HEK293T) cells lysed using 1% Triton X-100. The simplicity and availability of the present BOPs make it especially attractive for next-stage proteomics of rare and sample-limited systems.

2D-LC-MS/MS to measure cleaved high-molecular-weight kininogen in human plasma as a biomarker for C1-INH-HAE.

C1-INH-HAE is caused by activation of plasma kallikrein which subsequently cleaves high-molecular-weight kininogen (HMWK) to generate bradykinin and cHMWK. A novel ion-pair 2D LC-MS/MS assay was developed to measure the 46kDa cHMWK in plasma as a biomarker for C1-INH-HAE. The sample preparation included sodium dodecyl sulfate denaturation, methanol crash, chymotryptic digestion and peptide enrichment by solid phase extraction. The LLOQ was 200ng/ml. The overall cHMWK recovery combining crash and digestion was 57.5%. The precision of the method was ≤12.7% and accuracy ≤-13.8%. A reagent-free LC-MS assay has been developed for the quantitation of 46kDa cHMWK, which was shown to be elevated in plasma of C1-INH-HAE patients due to C1-INH deficiency relative to that of healthy subjects.

Hydrophobic/lipophobic barrier capable of confining aggressive liquids for paper-based assay

As traditional barriers are vulnerable to organic solvents or surfactants, a new fluoroalkyl-silica barrier with superior confining ability was developed for paper-based analytical devices (PADs). The as-prepared fluoroalkyl-silica barrier is able to contain surfactant solutions and pure organic solvents even alcohols. Based on the fluoroalkyl-silica barrier, PADs associated with condensing-enrichment effect were explored for Ni(II) assays involving ethanol and bacteria assays including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and chloroform. The exhibited work has the potential to significantly expand the applications of paper-based microfluidics or assays to include process/analysis involving organic solvents or surfactant solutions.

Thermodynamics of aggregate formation between a non-ionic polymer and ionic surfactants: An isothermal titration calorimetric study

This report examines the energetics of aggregate formation between hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and model ionic surfactants including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at pharmaceutically relevant concentrations using the isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) technique and a novel treatment of calorimetric data that accounts for the various species formed. The influence of molecular weight of HPMC, temperature and ionic strength of solution on the aggregate formation process was explored. The interaction between SDS and HPMC was determined to be an endothermic process and initiated at a critical aggregation concentration (CAC). The SDS-HPMC interactions were observed to be cooperative in nature and dependent on temperature and ionic strength of the solution. Molecular weight of HPMC significantly shifted the interaction parameters between HPMC and SDS such that at the highest molecular weight (HPMC K–100M;>240kDa), although the general shape of the titration curve (enthalpogram) was observed to remain similar, the critical concentration parameters (CAC, polymer saturation concentration (Csat) and critical micelle concentration (CMC)) were significantly altered and shifted to lower concentrations of SDS. Ionic strength was also observed to influence the critical concentration parameters for the SDS-HPMC aggregation and decreased to lower SDS concentrations with increasing ionic strength for both anionic and cationic surfactant-HPMC systems. From these data, other thermodynamic parameters of aggregation such as ΔHagg°, ΔGagg°, Hagg°, ΔSagg°, and ΔCp were calculated and utilized to postulate the hydrophobic nature of SDS-HPMC aggregate formation. The type of ionic surfactant head group (anionic vs. cationic i.e., dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB)) was found to influence the strength of HPMC-surfactant interactions wherein a distinct CAC signifying the strength of HPMC-DTAB interactions was not observed. The interpretation of the microcalorimetric data at different temperatures and ionic strengths while varying properties of polymer and surfactant was a very effective tool in investigating the nature and energetics of HPMC and ionic surfactant interactions.

Gas field produced/process water treatment using forward osmosis hollow fiber membrane: Membrane fouling and chemical cleaning

This study investigated the fouling behavior and chemical cleaning of forward osmosis (FO) membranes for treating produced/process water (PPW) from a real gas field using thin-film composite FO hollow fiber membranes. Experiments revealed that membrane fouling occurred during the PPW treatment, which hindered the water and solute transport through the membrane. The water permeability and FO reference water flux of the membrane decreased by 22.9% and 24.8%, respectively, after fouling. Membrane surface characterization was carried out, and the results indicated the deposition and entrapment of organic species on the membrane after the PPW treatment. The efficiencies of various cleaning agents, including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), ethylenediaminetetraacetic (EDTA) and NaOH, were evaluated. It was found that cleaning with SDS for 15min is the most effective method for restoring water flux, and very stable FO performance can be obtained during batch treatment of PPW. The FO membrane can reduce the PPW volume by 50% at a relatively high average water flux of 15.6L·m−2·h−1 in the active layer facing feed solution orientation using 1M NaCl as draw solution (equivalent to the draw solution available in the field). This study demonstrates the great potential of FO technology for produced/process water treatment.

Approaching over 10000-fold sensitivity increase in chiral capillary electrophoresis: Cation-selective exhaustive injection and sweeping cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

A novel and simple method that combines an online concentration technique with an enantioseparation technique for capillary electrophoresis-namely, cation-selective exhaustive injection and sweeping cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CSEI-sweeping CD-modified MEKC)-realizes the effective enantioseparation of cationic analytes while keeping a significant increase of detection sensitivity. This technique consists of a slight modification of the basic CSEI-sweeping MEKC. The main idea is to simply add an anionic CD as a chiral selector into the micellar buffer including sodium dodecyl sulfate, but not to change any other buffers in order to preserve the online concentration mechanism. When applied to analysis of the street drug, methamphetamine, the method achieved not only a baseline enantioseparation but also limits of detection (LODs; S/N = 3) of 70-90 pg/mL (ppt) for each isomer. This translates to a more than 10000-fold improvement compared to the LODs by the usual injection method. The present technique, which was made from a slight modification of CSEI-sweeping MEKC, would give an attractive approach that is applicable to almost any analytes for which CSEI-sweeping MEKC is applicable; all that is required is the selection of an appropriate anionic CD to be added to the micellar buffer.

Modulation of the wettability of excipients by surfactant and its impacts on the disintegration and release of tablets

Objective: To investigate the modulation of the wettability of excipients by different types of surfactants and its impacts on the disintegration of tablets and drug release.Materials and methods: The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of surfactants, including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB), cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and polysorbate (Tween-20 and Tween-80), was obtained using the platinum ring method. Contact angles of surfactant solutions on the excipient compacts and double-distilled water on the mixture of surfactant and the other excipient (magnesium stearate (MgSt) or sodium alginate (SA)) were measured by the sessile drop technique. Besides, surface free energy of excipients was calculated by the Owens method. Finally, the disintegration of tablets and in vitro dissolution testing were performed according to the method described in USP.Results and discussion: The wettability of excipients could be enhanced to different extent with low concentration of surfactant solutions and maintained stable basically after CMC. For MgSt (hydrophobic excipient), the shorter the hydrophobic chain (C12, including SDS and DTAB), the better the wettability with the addition of surfactant in the formulation, leading to the shorter disintegration time of tablets and higher drug release rate. In contrast, the wettability of SA (hydrophilic excipient) was reduced by adding surfactant, resulting in the longer disintegration time of tablets and lower release rate.Conclusion: The modulation of the wetting of pharmaceutical excipients by surfactant had changed the disintegration time of tablets and drug release rate to a greater extent.

Quality Requirements of Soft Red Winter Wheat for Making Northern‐Style Chinese Steamed Bread

Flours of 19 soft red winter (SRW) wheat varieties having protein contents of 6.6–9.9% were used to determine the suitability of SRW wheat for making northern‐style Chinese steamed bread (CSB) and the influences of flour characteristics on the quality attributes of CSB. Fourteen varieties produced CSB of acceptable to good quality with a total score greater than 70. Both protein content and dough strength‐related parameters, including sodium dodecyl sulfate sedimentation (SDSS) volume, wet and dry gluten contents, and midline peak time (MPT), were significantly associated with the quality attributes of CSB. The rapid viscosity analyzer setback value exhibited significant negative correlations with specific volume, smoothness, crumb structure, and total score of CSB. Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that 89% of variability in total scores of CSB could be predicted from SDSS volume, wet gluten content, and MPT. Contributions of high‐molecular‐weight glutenin subunits 7*+8 and 5+10 to flour characteristics, specific volume, stress relaxation score, and total score of CSB were greater than those of their counterpart allelic variations. Absence of the 1B/1R translocation in SRW wheat varieties was desirable for the production of CSB.

Surfactant-assisted direct biodiesel production from wet Nannochloropsis occulata by in situ transesterification/reactive extraction

This article reports an in situ transesterification/reactive extraction of Nannochloropsis occulata for fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) production using H2SO4, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) plus H2SO4 and zirconium dodecyl sulphate (ZDS). A maximum 67 % FAME yield was produced by ZDS. Effect of inclusion of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) in H2SO4 for FAME enhancement and water tolerance was also studied by hydrating the algae with 10 % - 30 % distilled water (w/w) dry algae. Treatment with SDS in H2SO4 increases the FAME production rate and water tolerance of the process. Inclusion of SDS in H2SO4 produced a maximum 98.3 % FAME yield at 20 % moisture in the algae. The FAME concentration began to diminish only at 30 % moisture in the algae. Furthermore, the presence of a small amount of water in the biomass or methanol increased the lipid extraction efficiency, improving the FAME yield, rather than inhibiting the reaction.

Quality and Batch-to-Batch Consistency of Original and Biosimilar Epoetin Products

Comprehensive physicochemical characterization and biological assays are essential parts in assessing quality attributes of biologicals. Here, we compared the quality of different marketed recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin) products: originators, Eprex and NeoRecormon as well as 2 biosimilars, Retacrit and Binocrit. In addition, assessment of batch-to-batch variability was included by collecting 2 or more batches of each product. Common assays which included sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, high-performance size-exclusion chromatography, asymmetrical flow field–flow fractionation, capillary zone electrophoresis, and potency testing were used. Of the tested products and among batches of single products, variations in epoetin content, isoform profiles, and potency were found. Ultimately, this study demonstrated the high quality of epoetin products with some degree of variation among products and batches, confirming the “similar but not identical” paradigm of biologicals.

A Nonconventional Model of Protocell-like Vesicles: Anionic Clay Surface-Mediated Formation from a Single-Tailed Amphiphile

We report a novel model system of precursor cellular membranes, self-assembled from micellar solution of a common anionic single-tailed amphiphile (STA), including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS). The self-assembly process was mediated with solid surfaces of Mg2Al-CO3 hydrotalcite-like compound (HTlc), an anionic clay, in the absence of cosurfactants or any additives. The resultant STA vesicles were characterized using negative-staining and cryogenic transmission electron microscopies, as well as dynamic light scattering and steady state fluorescence techniques. Interestingly, the obtained STA vesicles displayed good stability even after the removal of the anionic clay surface (ACS), and a self-reproduction phenomenon was observed for the "preformed" STA vesicles when mixing with corresponding STA micellar solutions. More importantly, the micelle-to-vesicle transition for SDS could be still arisen in high-salinity artificial seawater under the ACS mediation. Instead of conventional fatty acid scenario, our finding provides another novel possible model for protocell-like vesicles, which are easily formed under the plausible prebiotic conditions.

37 The effect of momordica charantia fruit extract on protein glycation

Diabetes mellitus is a multifactorial disorder characterised by hyperglycaemia and this leads to form advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) and this cause diabetes complications. Plant extract of Momordica charantia is used worldwide as traditional medicines for the treatments of diabetes mellitus especially in developing countries. The aim of this study is to investigate the antiglycation and antioxidant effects of hot and cold water extracts of Momordica charantia on protein glycation. Advanced glycation endproducts formation and inhibition were monitored by a number of methods including sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and fluorescent spectrometry. Furthermore, superoxide dismutase assay (SOD) and catalase assay (CAT) were used to study antioxidant properties of Momordica charatnia on bovine aortic endothelial cell in a cell culture model, The results have shown that hot and cold water extracts of Momordica charantia inhibit the production of AGEs in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, the extraction efficiency of the hot water extracts was found to be highly influenced by temperature. Advanced glycation endproducts leads to creation of free radical species in all types of cells. These may contribute towards diabetic complications. Thus the aqueous extract of Momordica charantia, an edible vegetable, may have therapeutic potential in the management of diabetes mellitus.

Decellularization of porcine articular cartilage explants and their subsequent repopulation with human chondroprogenitor cells

Engineering tissues with comparable structure, composition and mechanical functionality to native articular cartilage remains a challenge. One possible solution would be to decellularize xenogeneic articular cartilage in such a way that the structure of the tissue is maintained, and to then repopulate this decellularized matrix with human chondroprogenitor cells that will facilitate the reconstitution, maintenance and eventual turnover of the construct following implantation. The overall objective of this study was to develop a protocol to efficiently decellularize porcine articular cartilage grafts and to identify a methodology to subsequently repopulate such explants with human chondroprogenitor cells. To this end, channels were first introduced into cylindrical articular cartilage explants, which were then decellularized with a combination of various chemical reagents including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and nucleases. The decellularization protocol resulted in a ~90% reduction in porcine DNA content, with little observed effect on the collagen content and the collagen architecture of the tissue, although a near-complete removal of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAG) and a related reduction in tissue compressive properties was observed. The introduction of channels did not have any detrimental effect on the biochemical or the mechanical properties of the decellularized tissue. Next, decellularized cartilage explants with or without channels were seeded with human infrapatellar fat pad derived stem cells (FPSCs) and cultured chondrogenically under either static or rotational conditions for 10 days. Both channeled and non-channeled explants supported the viability, proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation of FPSCs. The addition of channels facilitated cell migration and subsequent deposition of cartilage-specific matrix into more central regions of these explants. The application of rotational culture appeared to promote a less proliferative cellular phenotype and led to an increase in sGAG synthesis within the explants. Rotational culture also appeared to promote higher cell viability and led to a more even distribution of cells within the channels of decellularized explants. To conclude, this study describes an effective protocol for the decellularization of porcine articular cartilage grafts and a novel methodology for the partial recellularization of such explants with human stem cells. Decellularized soft tissue explants that maintain their native collagen architecture may represent promising scaffolds for musculoskeletal tissue engineering applications.

A new application of plant virus nanoparticles as drug delivery in breast cancer.

Nanoparticles based on non-pathogenic viruses have opened up a novel sector in nanotechnology. Viral nanoparticles based on plant viruses have clear advantages over any synthetic nanoparticles as they are biocompatible and biodegradable self-assembled and can be produced inexpensively on a large scale. From several such under-development platforms, only a few have been characterized in the target-specific drugs into the cells. Potato virus X is presented as a carrier of the chemotherapeutic drug Herceptin that is currently used as a targeted therapy in (HER2+) breast cancer patients. Here, we used nanoparticles formed from the potato virus X to conjugate the Herceptin (Trastuzumab) monoclonal antibody as a new option in specific targeting of breast cancer. Bioconjugation was performed by EDC/sulfo-N-hydroxysuccinimide (sulfo-NHS) in a two-step protocol. Then, the efficiency of conjugation was investigated by different methods, including sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Western blot, ELISA, Zetasizer, and transmission electron microscopy. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis confirmed an 82-kDa protein band that resulted from conjugation of potato virus X (PVX) coat protein (27kDa) to heavy chain of Herceptin (55kDa). Zeta potential values for conjugated particles, PVX, and HER were -7.05, -21.4, and -1.48, respectively. We investigated the efficiency of PVX-Herceptin to induce SK-OV-3 and SK-BR-3 cells (HER2 positive cell lines) apoptosis. We therefore counted cells and measured apoptosis by flow cytometry assay, then compared with Herceptin alone. Based on our data, we confirmed the conjugation of PVX and Herceptin. This study suggests that the PVX-Herceptin conjugates enable Herceptin to become more potential therapeutic tools.

Online 2D-LC-MS/MS assay to quantify therapeutic protein in human serum in the presence of pre-existing antidrug antibodies.

The formation of antidrug antibodies (ADA) can interfere with the accurate quantitation of therapeutic proteins, leading to significantly underestimated drug concentrations and confounded pharmacokinetic (PK) data interpretation. Although highly desirable, development of ADA-tolerant bioanalytical methods enabling unbiased measurement of both free and ADA-bound drug presents a considerable challenge. We report herein the development and validation of a robust LC-MS assay capable of quantifying therapeutic protein immunoglobulin A1 protease (IgAP) in human serum in the presence of pre-existing anti-IgAP antibodies. The procedure included sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) denaturation and chemical reduction of serum proteins to dissociate ADA-drug bindings, followed by tryptic digestion of protein pellets and subsequent LC-MS analysis of the surrogate IgAP peptide using stable isotope labeled peptide internal standard. Substantial enhancements in the sensitivity and selectivity were achieved by the combination of online two-dimensional reversed-phase LC (2D-LC) operated in high and low pH buffers, respectively, for efficient enrichment and quantitation of the surrogate peptide by multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mass spectrometry. Unlike ligand-binding assay, our method is not prone to interferences from ADA, allowing accurate and precise measurement of the IgAP in the range of 0.05 to 10 μg/mL in 25 μL of human serum with a wide range of anti-IgAP antibody levels. The intra- and inter-run precision (coefficient of variation (CV%)) was within 11.5% and 10.5%, respectively, and the bias was within ±7.1% for all quality control (QC) concentrations. With little modification, the described method can readily be applicable to the quantitation of other biotherapeutic proteins in the ADA-positive clinical matrices.

Molecular interactions at the hexadecane/water interface in the presence of surfactants studied with second harmonic generation

It is important to investigate the influence of surfactants on structures and physical/chemical properties of oil/water interfaces. This work reports a second harmonic generation study of the adsorption of malachite green (MG) on the surfaces of oil droplets in a hexadecane/water emulsion in the presence of surfactants including sodium dodecyl sulfate, polyoxyethylene-sorbitan monooleate (Tween80), and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide. It is revealed that surfactants with micromolar concentrations notably influence the adsorption of MG at the oil/water interface. Both competition adsorption and charge-charge interactions played very important roles in affecting the adsorption free energy and the surface density of MG at the oil/water interface. The sensitive detection of the changing oil/water interface with the adsorption of surfactants at such low concentrations provides more information for understanding the behavior of these surfactants at the oil/water interface.

A surfactant-stable Bacillus pumilus K9 α-keratinase and its potential application in detergent industry

An α-keratinase producing strain was isolated with wool as the sole carbon and nitrogen source and identified as Bacillus pumilus K9. The major amino acids liberated from the keratin degradation of wool by B. pumilus K9 were glutamic acid and leucine. The α-keratinase was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity with a molecular weight of 32000. The purified enzyme exhibits an optimum activity at 60 °C and pH=9.0. It was stable at pH values between 8 and 11. Bacillas pumilus keratinase displays a high activity towards casein, keratin, wool and feather, which indicates its wide application range. The keratinase was completely inhibited by phenylmethyl-sulfonyl fluoride(PMSF) and β-mercaptoethanol, and moderately inhibited by ethylemediamine-tetraacetic acid(EDTA), suggesting it is a metallo-cysteine keratinase. This enzyme could remain stable that could even be promoted in the presence of surfactants, including sodium dodecyl sulfate(SDS), Tween and Triton. And Tween 40 and Triton X-100 could substantially enhance the activity of the enzyme by 54% and 35%, respectively. It may indicate the prominent feature of the keratinase to tolerate surfactants. The enzymatic properties distinguish this keratinase from others in the literature. Furthermore, this enzyme is extremely stable in the presence of a commercially available detergent with 1% concentration. Detergents ARIEL, Bluemoon and WhiteCat can enhance the activity of the keratinase by 43.56%, 15.22%, and 22.48%, respectively.

Role of Surfactant in the Formation of Gold Nanoparticles in Aqueous Medium

The stability of gold nanoparticles is a major issue which decides their impending usage in nanobiotechnological applications. Often biomimetically synthesized nanoparticles are deemed useless owing to their instability in aqueous medium. So, surfactants are used to stabilize the nanoparticles. But does the surfactant only stabilize by being adsorbed to the surface of the nanoparticles and not play significantly in moulding the size and shape of the nanoparticles? Keeping this idea in mind, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) synthesized by l-tryptophan (Trp) mediated reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) were stabilized by anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), and its effect on the moulding of size and properties of the GNPs was studied. Interestingly, unlike most of the gold nanoparticles synthesis mechanism showing saturation growth mechanism, inclusion of SDS in the reaction mixture for GNPs synthesis resulted in a bimodal mechanism which was studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The mechanism was further substantiated with transmission electron microscopy. Zeta potential of GNPs solutions was measured to corroborate stability observations recorded visually.

Facile microwave synthesis, characterization, and solar cell application of selenium nanoparticles

In the current study, selenium (Se) nanoparticles with hexagonal phase were synthesized by applying microwave irradiation using selenium tetrachloride as a starting reagent in distilled water at various conditions. Se nanoparticles were formed using hydrazine in short reaction time (4min). The effects of reaction time, irradiation power, and types of surfactant including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG 600), and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on the particle size of the product were investigated. To fabricate a FTO/TiO2/Se/Pt-FTO and FTO/Se/CdS/Pt-FTO solar cell, selenium film was directly deposited on top of the TiO2 and FTO glass prepared by Doctor’s blade method, respectively. Solar cell results indicate that an inexpensive solar cell could be developed by synthesis of Se nanoparticles through microwave method.