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    Surface rheological properties alter aerosol formation from mucus mimetic surfaces

    Year: 2020

    Journal: Soft Matter, Volume 16, SEP 7, page 7823–7834

    Authors: Hamed, Rania; Schenck, Daniel M.; Fiegel, Jennifer

    Organizations: NIEHS NIH HHSUnited States Department of Health & Human ServicesNational Institutes of Health (NIH) - USANIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) [P30 ES005605] Funding Source: Medline

    The effects of surface tension and surface viscoelastic properties on the formation of aerosol droplets generated from mucus-like viscoelastic gels (mucus mimetics) during shearing with a high velocity air stream were investigated. Mucus mimetic samples were formulated with similar composition (94% water and 6% dissolved solids, consisting of mucins, proteins, and ions), surface tension (viathe addition of surfactant to the mimetic surface) and bulk viscoelastic properties (viacrosslinking of mucin macromolecules in the mimetic) to that of native non-diseased tracheal mucus. The surface tension of the mucus mimetic was decreased by spreading one of two surfactants, dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) or calf lung surfactant (Infasurf (R)), on the mimetic surface. Aerosols were generated from the mimetic surfaces during simulated coughing using an enhanced simulated cough machine (ESCM) operating under controlled environmental conditions. The size distribution of aerosol droplets generated during simulated coughing from the surfactant-coated mimetic surfaces was multimodal, while no droplets were generated from the bare mimetic surface due to its high surface viscoelastic properties and high surface tension. The concentration of aerosols generated from the DPPC-coated mimetic was higher than that of the Infasurf (R)-coated mimetic, even though the surface tension of the two interfaces was the same. The experimental results suggest that a balance of surface elastic behavior and surface viscous behavior is required for the generation of aerosols from the viscoelastic surfaces.
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