Amount Of Surfactant Research Articles

A Double Compatibilization Strategy To Boost the Performance of p-i-n Solar Cells Based on Perovskite Deposited in Humid Ambient Air.

Formamidinium lead iodide (FAPI) represents the most promising perovskite for single junction solar cells, exhibiting an impressive performance when deposited in a controlled nitrogen environment. In order to foster the real-world application of this technology, the deposition of FAPI in ambient air is a highly desirable prospect, as it would reduce fabrication costs. This study demonstrates that the wettability of FAPI precursors on the hole transporting layers (HTL) used to fabricate inverted p-i-n solar cells is extremely poor in ambient air, hampering the realization of a perovskite active layer with good optoelectronic quality. To address this issue, herein, a double compatibilization method is developed, which results in the attainment of remarkable performance, exceeding 21%, representing one of the highest reported efficiencies for FAPI solar cells fabricated in humid ambient air. The incorporation of a small quantity of anionic surfactant, comprising a hydrocarbon tail and a polar headgroup, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), in the perovskite solution and an ultrathin layer of alumina nanoparticles on the HTL, results in a significant improvement in the wettability of the FAPI solution. This enables the reproducible deposition of highly homogeneous perovskite films with complete coverage and excellent optical and optoelectronic quality. Furthermore, devices based on FAPI with SDS exhibit enhanced stability, retaining 98% of their initial efficiency after 40 h of continuous illumination.

Synthesis of Mesoporous Silica Sol with Low Refractive Properties for Increasing Transmittance.

Currently, coating with anti-reflective materials is an attractive approach to improve the quality of screen-based displays. In this study, mesoporous silica particles were systematically synthesized as a function of surfactant (i.e., CTAC-cetyltrimethylammonium chloride) concentration to serve as main coating fillers possessing low refractive indices. Precisely changing the amount of the CTAC surfactant, silica sol with an average diameter of 50 nm exhibits distinctively different specific surface areas, pore size, and pore volume. Prior to the preparation of final coating solutions containing these silica particle fillers, the percentage of solid content was optimized on a glass slide. The use of 50 wt% solid content exhibited the highest transmittance of light. Among various content levels of silica sol, the use of 3.5 wt% of silica particles in the solid content displayed the highest transmittance (i.e., best anti-reflectiveness). Under the almost identical coating layers prepared with the fixed amount of silica particles possessing different surface areas, pore size, and pore volume, it appears that the largest pore volume played the most important role in improving the anti-reflective properties. Experimentally understanding the key feature of low-refractive filler materials under the optimized conditions could provide a clear view to develop highly effective anti-reflective materials for various display applications.

A novel approach for nanobubble generation toward biomedical applications

The stability of free-standing nanobubbles is a long-standing controversial problem due to the Laplace pressure catastrophe at the nanoscale. In most industrial circumstances, a large quantity of surfactants is required as stabilisers or emulsifiers to generate stable bubbles or foams. However, when surfactants exceed a certain level, they can adversely affect living organisms and pose environmental risks. Towards biomedical use, we investigated nanobubble generation through a mini-extruder in amino acid solutions. Herein, we considered glycine (having two acid dissociation constants, i.e. pKa values) and lysine (having three pKa values) as two model amino acids, conducting experiments with various concentrations (0.1 M, 0.5 M and 1 M), along with different pH values (above, equal to, and below the isoelectric points of each amino acids; 5.97 for glycine and 9.74 for lysine). Our results showcased the proof of concept that amino acids can stabilise nanobubbles in bulk for a few days. We achieved remarkable products of nanobubbles via nanopores by extrusion, with reproducible size distribution and stability. We also compared the extrusion protocol with the commonly used ultrasound method. It turned out that extrusion generated samples with smaller sizes and higher concentrations than sonication. This study provides a reliable protocol for generating small-scale nanobubbles for biomedical use, showing great potential in drug delivery for medical treatment.

Pontederia crassipes utilization for dual phytoremediation and adsorption in greywater treatment: a techno-economic and sustainable approach

While phytoremediation has been widely employed for greywater treatment, this system suffers from the transfer of considerable amounts of surfactants to the aquatic environment through partially treated effluent and/or exhausted plant disposal. Hence, this study focuses on greywater phytoremediation followed by recycling the spent plant for preparing an adsorbent material used as post-treatment. P. crassipes was used to operate a phytoremediation unit under 23 °C, 60% relative humidity, plant density (5–30 g/L), dilution (0–50%), pH (4–10), and retention time (3–15 days). The optimum condition was 12.7 g/L density, 34.0% dilution, pH 8.4, and 13 days, giving chemical oxygen demand (COD), surfactant, and NH4-N removal efficiencies of 94.62%, 90.45%, and 88.09%, respectively. The exhausted plant was then thermally treated at 550 °C and 40 min to obtain biochar used as adsorbent to treat the phytoremediation effluent. The optimum adsorption process was biochar dosage of 1.51 g/L, pH of 2.1, and 137 min, providing a surfactant removal efficiency of 92.56%. The final discharge of this phytoremediation/adsorption combined process contained 8.30 mg/L COD, 0.23 mg/L surfactant, and 0.94 mg/L NH4 +-N. Interestingly, this approach could be economically feasible with a payback period of 6.5 years, 14 USD net present value, and 8.6% internal rate of return.

Nanosuspension as a Novel Nanovehicle for Drug Delivery: A Recent Update on Patents and Therapeutic Applications

Abstract: Solubility is a critical factor for the therapeutic action of drugs and does not depend on the administration of routes. Various conventional methods are used to enhance the solubility of the drug, which show limited applicability. Nanotechnology is used to improve the solubility and bioavailability of drugs that belong to BCS classes II and IV. Nanosuspension is the dispersion of pure drug nanoparticles in aqueous with a minimum amount of surfactant, stabilizing the formula-tion. Various techniques, such as the bottom-up approach, dissocubes, nanopure, nanoedge, nano-jet process, supercritical fluid, dry co-grinding, milling media, and nanoprecipitation, have been used to formulate nanosuspension. Nanosuspension can be administered orally, inhalation, trans-dermal, ocular, injectable, topical, and pulmonary. To resolve the problem of solubility and stabil-ity, nanosuspension has received much attention because of its technical simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and ease of significant scale-up. Nanosuspension can control particle size surface charge properties and release the drug at specific sites at an optimal rate. Recently, more than 100 patents have been published on nanosuspension. This review article covers the different prepara-tion methods, formulation composition, marketed products, characterization, and recent patents on nanosuspension. The various benefits and evaluation of the parameters of nanosuspension are discussed briefly. This patent-based review will enhance the knowledge of control drug delivery and related patents on nanosuspension.

Treatment of greywater coming from a food court using adsorption and advanced oxidation processes

The increase in the demand for water has recrudesced water scarcity in several places of the world, which has been intensified by the lack of rainfall, generating a water crisis, being very important to evaluate the treatment to allow the reuse of greywater. This is the first study focused on the removal of pollutants present in greywater using a pretreatment system based on ozone and solar irradiation. A series of treatments were addressed to evaluate the depuration of greywater coming from the dishwashing of a university dining hall. Notable findings of the study include several aspects such as a very high colour removal using sedimentation and, filtration and flotation process, with an overall colour removal of 91.8 %. The adsorption process removed a higher amount of surfactants with dried compost as adsorbent compared to fly ash or zeolite, with surfactant removal rates of 50.8 %, 7.8 %, and 9.0 %, respectively. Eliminating oil and grease from the greywater was studied with a solar photoreactor coupled with an ozonation process and configured in different ways. When ozone was incorporated into the vertical ozonation tube, and greywater was pumped to mix it with the ozone gas to pump the resulting mix to the borosilicate tube, oil and grease removal was 84.1 %. These treatment processes offer an effective solution for removing pollutants present in greywater; however, further studies and optimisation of operational conditions are required to enhance the efficiency of the treatment.

Laboratory Studies of the Phase Microemulsions between Oil, Gaberoun Lake Water, and Surfactant Systems by using Phase Behavior Test

Microemulsion phase behavior is the mostimportant phenomenon related to any type of chemicalenhanced oil recovery (EOR) using surfactant. An EORprocess in which a small amount of surfactant is added to anaqueous fluid injected to sweep the reservoir. The presenceof surfactant reduces the interfacial tension between the oiland water phases to improve oil recovery. This research wasconducted through interaction with the micelles of asurfactant in a Gaberoun Lake Water (GLW), a substancespontaneously dissolves to form a stable and clear solution.The laboratory experiment was designed to solubilize the oilby GLW with oil and surfactant to form an emulsion (ME)consisting of oil and water. The GLW and surfactant waterwere prepared by different concentrations and salinity asaqueous. The aqueous was injected into special glass tubesand placed inside the oven at different temperatures from30 oC to 70 oC at ambient pressure. The glass tubes were leftuntil equilibrium condition for 72 hours. In this study, newresults using dead oil and surfactant with Libyan leak waterwere presented. The range of the thickness of the ME from0.1ml to 1.4 ml. The result showed that the ME wasdecreased with a decrease in surfactant concentration valuesand increased with a decrease salinity. The findings in thisresearch that GLW can be used for oil recovery processes.

Pickering emulsion stabilized by cellulose nanofibril from pineapple leaves for biofoam manufacture

Cellulose nano fibril (CNF) can be selected as an agent of pickering emulsion in biofoam manufacture. This study thoroughly investigates the pickering emulsion method for producing biofoam, the characterization of CNF from pineapple leaves, the production of biofoam with various concentration of CNF and surfactant, and the effect of these parameters on the properties of wet foam and dry foam. CNF was created by mechanical grinding then the stability and morphology were evaluated. The pickering emulsion mechanism in biofoam manufacture was investigated using foamability and foam stability with various CNF and surfactant concentration. As the results, CNF concentrations will create varying zeta potential values. The morphology of CNF shows that it has a structure-like entangled network. The stability test demonstrates that adding CNF improves the stability and foamability of biofoam by the pickering effect. Biofoam without CNF has an unstable structure and is easily collapse when dried in an oven. The concentration of CNF and the amount of surfactant utilized altered the qualities of both wet and dry foam. The lower concentration of CNF and the addition of surfactant could increases foamability, high porosity, water absorption, and biodegradability; as well as low density, contact angle and bending characteristics. In biofoam that consists of 2 % CNF, the stability of wet foam increases as the amount of surfactant added, resulting in a biofoam with low tensile strength.

Impact of cationic surfactants molecular structure on physicochemical structure and properties of polyamide reverse osmosis membrane via tailoring interfacial polymerization

Surfactants assisted interfacial polymerization (IP) has been demonstrated as an effective method to finely tailor the structure and performance of polyamide (PA) reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. However, little is done to illustrate how molecular structure of cationic surfactants affects IP and the amounts of surfactants incorporated into PA. In this study, three types of quaternary ammonium cationic surfactants were employed to assist the IP process and to fabricate RO membranes. Results show that these three cationic surfactants can not only significantly accelerate m-phenylenediamine (MPD) diffusion from aqueous phase into oil phase and promote the PA crosslinking, but also can be incorporated into PA to affect the surface properties (hydrophilicity, charge properties). Benzyl dimethyl phenyl ammonium chloride (BDMPAC) having two benzene rings had been found to be incorporated into PA with the highest amount because of its similar benzene structure as PA. Moreover, benzalkonium chloride (BAC) with the longest aliphatic tail induced a pronounced Marangoni convection during IP, resulting in an enlarged surface area of PA with large leaves and abundant internal/backside voids, and thus the highest water permeance. This study demonstrates a facile and simple way of using cationic surfactants to engineer the high-performance polyamide RO membrane.

The preparation of hollow graphene microspheres and its application research in environmental management

In this study, hollow graphene microspheres (GO-GE) were prepared using Gemini surfactants as hydrophobic modifiers by direct mixing method. By changing the amount of Gemini surfactants, hollow graphene microspheres with different surfactant/graphene ratios were obtained. Aromatic cyclic compounds were used as simulated pollutants to investigate the adsorption capacity of hollow graphene microspheres for simulated wastewater. The results showed that the amount of surfactant had a significant effect on the particle size, density, and hydrophilic properties of the hollow graphene microspheres. When the amount of Gemini surfactants increased, the hydrophobicity of GE-GO hollow graphene microspheres improved, and the adsorption of hydrophobic pollutants such as aromatic cyclic compounds was faster and more effective. The removal rates of toluene and benzene were as high as 84.7% and 92.6%, respectively. The order of removal rates for aromatic cyclic compounds was toluene > benzene > 4-nitrophenol > 4-nitroaniline > methyl red > methylene blue. The obtained microspheres had a long-term stability in solution, which could avoid re-polluting the water body. In addition, repeated experiments demonstrated that the microspheres had good reusability. Therefore, this type of hollow graphene microspheres may have great potential application prospects in the field of environmental wastewater treatment.

Physicochemical investigations of nootropic drug piracetam for enhanced solubilization as nano drug carrier under the influence of single and mixed micellar formulations: An optimized approach towards drug delivery

Nonionic surfactants have drawn tremendous attention for micellar solubilization, sustained release of the drug, encapsulation of pharmaceutically active ingredients, and permeabilization due to their distinct physicochemical characteristics. Concise solubility investigations are required for the appropriate selection of nonionic surfactant that is to be used for a formulation. In the present research, a cluster of micelles was developed that relies on trapping and stabilizing piracetam by balancing the hydrophilic and hydrophobic forces of nonionic surfactants. Tween 80 and Triton-X 100 and a mixture of these surfactants were used to clarify the drug-surfactant interaction in an aqueous and micellar medium. The interaction was investigated in premicellar, micellar, and post-micellar regions by using UV/Visible spectroscopy. Spectroscopic parameters were calculated to determine the degree of solubilization in terms of the partition coefficient (Kx), binding constant (Kb), and their respective energies in terms of Gibbs free energy of partition (ΔGp) and Gibbs free energy of binding (ΔGb) for piracetam. The solubilization of piracetam is enhanced by mixing an adequate amount of both nonionic surfactants. The obtained results demonstrated that solubilization is spontaneous and entropically favorable and the cluster of micelles in both single and mixed micellar mediums are stable due to the presence of a much more hydrophobic and hydrophilic culture which provides a synergistic link between the two surfactants.

Facile-controllable synthesis of 3D cross-shaped ZIF-67 to achieve highly efficient flame retardancy and smoke suppression for TPU composites

Zeolite imidazolium frameworks (ZIFs), as a subcategory of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), are widely used in many fields. And, the physical morphology, particle size, and shape of ZIFs have an important influence on their application performance, such as flame retardancy for polymer. Here, three types of ZIF-67 were prepared with different physical morphology structures including dodecahedron (ZIF-67), cube (ZIF-67 NC), and cross-shaped (ZIF-67 H), by adjusting the proportion between 2-methylimidazole and cobalt (Ⅱ) nitrate hexahydrate together with the suitable amount of surfactant (CTAB), and they were used to enhance the flame retardancy and smoke suppressing properties of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). It has been found the novel ZIF-67 H with 3D cross-shaped superior catalytic and flame-retardant capabilities than the other two during the burning process of TPU composites. Compared with those of pure TPU, the peak heat release rate (pHRR), total smoke production (TSP), and smoke factor (SF) of TPU/2 wt%ZIF-67 H were decreased by 45.4 %, 50.2 %, and 72.9 %, respectively. At the same time, both TPU/1 wt%ZIF-67 H and TPU/2 wt%ZIF-67 H samples showed stronger tensile properties than pure TPU at the same elongation. This work further enriches the study of multi-structured ZIFs for flame retardant TPU.

BaTiO3 catalyzed ultrasonic driven piezoelectric induced miniemulsion atom transfer radical polymerization (Piezo-miniATRP)

Compared with other stimulus such as light and heat, ultrasonic possesses much deeper penetration into tissues and organs and has lower scattering in heterogeneous systems as a noninvasive stimulus, and has already been used as the external stimulus to initiate reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP). However, the development of efficient ultrasonic drive RDRP in aqueous dispersed media remains a challenge. Here in this work, ultrasonic driven piezoelectric induced miniemulsion atom transfer radical polymerization (Piezo-miniATRP) was performed, with tetragonal BaTiO3 (BTO) nanoparticles as the piezoelectric catalyst. The Piezo-miniATRP exhibited features of controllable and livingness, such as linear increase of molar mass and narrow molar mass distributions (Mw/Mn < 1.30). The effect of different polymerization parameters on the polymerization reaction was investigated, including the amounts of surfactant, CuBr2 and BTO dosages. Excellent temporal control of the polymerization and the chain fidelity of polymers were illustrated by “ON and OFF” experiment and chain extension, separately. This novel BTO catalyzed Piezo-miniATRP process could also be extended to other aqueous dispersion RDRP systems.

Environmentally friendly fluorine-free fire extinguishing agent based on the synergistic effect of silicone, hydrocarbon surfactants and foam stabilizers

The environmentally friendly fluorine-free fire extinguishing agent based on the silicone surfactant was developed in order to solve the environmental hazards and bio-accumulative of traditional aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). The carboxyl modified polyether polysiloxane surfactant (CMPS) was an efficient alternative to fluorocarbon surfactant, which was firstly synthesized via the esterification reaction using hydroxyl-containing polyether modified polysiloxane (HPMS) and maleic anhydride (MA) as raw materials. Then the surface activity, foam properties, micellar morphology of the CMPS and four hydrocarbon surfactants, as well as their mixture are evaluated by surface tension, Ross-Miles and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM). And the suitable key amount of CMPS and hydrocarbon surfactants added to the extinguishing agent were optimized by orthogonal tests. Moreover, the effect of foam stabilizer on the surface activity, foam property and fire extinguishing performance of fire extinguishing agent are also analyzed. Consequently, a new environmentally friendly fluorine-free fire extinguishing agent was prepared and the surface tension, the interfacial tension, foam properties, bubble morphology, spreading behavior and fire extinguishing mechanism were systematically characterized. The Cryo-TEM results illustrate that the intense interaction among silicone and hydrocarbon molecules exists in the the mixture of CMPS and hydrocarbon surfactants, which is produced through the change of micellar morphology, i.e. microscopic larger spheroidal micelles of CMPS transited to smaller spheroidal micelles and wormlike micelles in the mixed system. The surface tension of synthesized foam extinguishing agent is 22.3 mN/m and the spread coefficient is 0.9 mN/m, which has excellent surface activity and spreading property. The prepared foam extinguishing agent exhibits superior fire-fighting property, which can be attributed to the high surface activity, good foam property and superior foam stability. The research results of this paper lay a theoretical foundation for the research and development of efficient environmentally friendly foam extinguishing agent.

Optimization of the MCM-48 Synthesis Method as a Catalyst in the Esterification of Nyamplung Seed Oil into Biodiesel

This study was conducted to synthesize MCM-48 based on the surfactants (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and Triton X-100). The effect of surfactant on MCM-48 was studied in the esterification of nyamplung seed oil. Optimization of the amount of surfactant in the MCM-48 catalyst in the esterification of nyamplung seed oil was carried out by washing and calcination methods. Comparison of GC-MS method and acid-base titration was also studied to determine the activity of the MCM-48 catalyst in the esterification. The results of the Mann Whitney statistical test showed that there was no significant difference (Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) = 0.967) for the two methods. The effect of the active site on the MCM-48 catalyst activity in the esterification was characterized by FTIR and XRD. The catalyst's activity is significantly influenced by both the percentage transmittance of the silanol active site and the surfactant removal method. The MCM-48 catalyst manufactured by calcination (CTAB-MCM-48/650) performed 12.31% better than the washing approach (CTAB-MCM-48/1w). However, the CTAB-MCM-48 catalyst can be applied to the simultaneous reaction (esterification and transesterification) of the conversion of nyamplung seed oil into biodiesel.

Selection Criteria for Solvent and Coagulation Medium to Modulate the Structure of Polymethylmethacrylate Prepared by Wet Phase Inversion

Polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA, with sponge or finger pores are interesting depending on the application. Our goal was to investigate parameters (Φ and Φ’) to foresee the morphology of PMMA prepared by phase inversion based on chemical composition (amount and type of solvent, non-solvent and surfactant). A literature survey was conducted with different chemical composition and analyzed by statistical tools. Sponge-like structures were obtained in systems whose Φ value is less than 0.22 or the Φ’ value is more than 0.55. Both indexes can differentiate to some extent systems that generate finger-like structures from those that generate sponge-like ones.

Organo acid-activated clays for water treatment as removal agent of Eosin-Y: Properties, regeneration, and single batch design absorber

Organoclays have been proposed as efficient removal agents for colored wastewater treatment. In this study, organo-acid-activated clays were investigated for their ability to remove eosin Y dye molecules. Firstly, the clay was acid activated using sulfuric solution at 90 °C for overnight. Secondly, the resulting materials were treated by hexadecyltetramethylammonium bromide solutions to obtain organo-acid-activated clays. Several techniques were used, such as X-ray diffraction, carbon hydrogen nitrogen analysis, silicon-29 and carbon-13 solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, and nitrogen adsorption isotherms. The cation exchange capacity values were reduced and the specific surface area values increased from 80.1 m2/g to 183.2 m2/g during the acid activation process. The resulting organo-acid-activated clays had a similar expansion of interlayer spacing of 3.90 nm with less intercalated hexadecyltetramethylammonium surfactants, ranging from 0.80 mmol/g to 1.22 mmol/g; 13C solid NMR indicated that the intercalated surfactants exhibited different degree of conformation. Many factors, including the solid dose, solution pH, amount of intercalated surfactants, and starting eosin-Y concentrations, were studied in relation to the removal capabilities of organo acid-activated clays. Based on the Langmuir model, the removal capacity of the organo acid-activated clays ranged from a minimum of 43.5 mg/g to a maximum of 79.3 mg/g, dependent on the surfactant quantities and acid activation degree. , and the pH. The removal percentage of eosin-Y was increased from 50.5 % to 80.8 % by treating the organo acid-activated clay with HCl solution before the removal procedure. Regeneration and reuse of two selected organo acid-activated clays were carried out for seven successive cycles, and a reduction in the initial efficiency was in the range of 26.4 %–30.1 %. However, for organoclay (without acid activation), approximately 52.1 % efficiency was maintained. Using the Langmuir model and mass balance equations, a single-stage adsorber design was suggested for different dye volumes at a constant starting concentration.

Effect of surfactant adsorption on the efficiency of drainage displacement at different viscosity ratios: A lattice Boltzmann study

Surfactant flooding is an effective method for enhanced oil recovery, accompanied by the adsorption of surfactant molecules during their transport in porous media. This paper studies the effects of surfactant adsorption on immiscible two-phase flows in porous media and focuses on two primary objectives. The first is to identify the influence of the water/oil viscosity ratio on the maximum adsorbed amount of surfactant. The second scope involves establishing a relationship between the viscosity ratio and the effect of surfactant adsorption on the displacement efficiency during drainage displacement. The novelty lies in the identification of new patterns characterizing the adsorption effect on the displacement efficiency depending on the viscosity ratio. The main results are based on statistical data collected from numerical simulations performed on various synthetic 2D micromodels. The lattice Boltzmann method was used as a mathematical model. It has been established that the adsorbed amount is influenced by the viscosity ratio as follows: the higher the oil viscosity, the less the adsorbed amount. However, the effect is not strong. An increase in oil viscosity leads to a decrease in the adsorption effect on displacement efficiency. This finding is determined by two factors: the maximum adsorbed amount and the adsorbed amount at the moment of surfactant breakthrough. It has been found that if surfactant adsorption is neglected, the viscosity ratio does not affect the increment in oil recovery compared to the injection of pure water. However, if adsorption is taken into account, an increase in oil viscosity enhances the effect of surfactant flooding on displacement efficiency. The dependence of the viscosity ratio on the adsorption effect on oil recovery obeys linear law. This trend was confirmed in a digital 3D model of natural sandstone obtained using X-ray computed tomography.

Performance and emission characteristics of a diesel engine fuelled with Mesua ferrea biodiesel with chromium oxide (Cr2O3) nanoparticles: Experimental approach and response surface methodology

This study investigates the effects of using nano-fuelled diesel engines, including Mesua ferrea biodiesel and chromium oxide (Cr2O3) nanoparticles. The RSM model was created to make accurate predictions of the operating parameters. The amount of Cr2O3 nanoparticles was set at 60, 80, and 100 mg/L and an equal amount of surfactant and dispersant was added to the nanoparticles. The test was carried out under different compression ratios and load conditions. The parameters evaluated were the engine loads (3, 6, 9, and 12 kgf), fuel samples, and compression ratios (16.5:1, 17.5:1, and 18.5:1) as inputs and the parameters BTE, BSFC, CO, UHC, NOx, and smoke opacity as outputs. The BD20 + Cr2O3 80 mg/L + DSP 80 mg/L fuel sample resulted in a significant improvement in BTE by 16.58 % and a reduction in BSFC by 0.58 % compared to the other samples, while CO concentration decreased by 31.85 %, UHC concentration by 22.23 %, NOx concentration by 6.16 % and smoke opacity by 62.61 % at CR 18.5:1 and full load. The correlation coefficient (R2), which was determined using response surface methods and artificial neural networks, was between 0.96 and 0.98 for all output parameters. The observed range of values demonstrates a strong correlation between the experimental data and the predicted results.

Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS IIIA) mice have increased lung compliance and airway resistance, decreased diaphragm strength, and no change in alveolar structure.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA (MPS IIIA) is characterized by neurological and skeletal pathologies caused by reduced activity of the lysosomal hydrolase, sulfamidase, and the subsequent primary accumulation of undegraded heparan sulfate (HS). Respiratory pathology is considered secondary in MPS IIIA and the mechanisms are not well understood. Changes in the amount, metabolism, and function of pulmonary surfactant, the substance that regulates alveolar interfacial surface tension and modulates lung compliance and elastance, have been reported in MPS IIIA mice. Here we investigated changes in lung function in 20-wk-old control and MPS IIIA mice with a closed and open thoracic cage, diaphragm contractile properties, and potential parenchymal remodeling. MPS IIIA mice had increased compliance and airway resistance and reduced tissue damping and elastance compared with control mice. The chest wall impacted lung function as observed by an increase in airway resistance and a decrease in peripheral energy dissipation in the open compared with the closed thoracic cage state in MPS IIIA mice. Diaphragm contractile forces showed a decrease in peak twitch force, maximum specific force, and the force-frequency relationship but no change in muscle fiber cross-sectional area in MPS IIIA mice compared with control mice. Design-based stereology did not reveal any parenchymal remodeling or destruction of alveolar septa in the MPS IIIA mouse lung. In conclusion, the increased storage of HS which leads to biochemical and biophysical changes in pulmonary surfactant also affects lung and diaphragm function, but has no impact on lung or diaphragm structure at this stage of the disease.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Heparan sulfate storage in the lungs of mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA (MPS IIIA) mice leads to changes in lung function consistent with those of an obstructive lung disease and includes an increase in lung compliance and airway resistance and a decrease in tissue elastance. In addition, diaphragm muscle contractile strength is reduced, potentially further contributing to lung function impairment. However, no changes in parenchymal lung structure were observed in mice at 20 wk of age.