Competitive Adsorption at Air-liquid Interfaces
Author | : Patrick Christopher Stenger |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 478 |
Release | : 2008 |
Genre | : |
ISBN | : 9780549842750 |
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Competitive adsorption to air-water interfaces occurs anytime multiple surface-active species co-exist in solution. It is especially common in biological processes and is believed to be a causative factor in the development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), a potentially fatal disease that afflicts & sim;140,000 annually. Lung surfactant (LS) is a unique mixture of lipids and proteins that adsorbs to the alveolar interface and acts to lower the surface tension in the lungs, which makes normal breathing effortless. The surface tension control imposed by LS is compromised during ARDS; serum proteins in the alveolar fluid compete with lung surfactant for the interface. Understanding the physics and chemistry of this competitive adsorption process is necessary to develop new approaches which safely and effectively treat ARDS.