title: The effects of suspension particle size on the performance of air-jet, ultrasonic and vibrating-mesh nebulisers.
abstract: Using latex microspheres as model suspensions, the influence of suspension particle size (1, 4.5 and 10 μm) on the properties of aerosols produced using Pari LC Sprint (air-jet), Polygreen (ultrasonic), Aeroneb Pro (actively vibrating-mesh) and Omron MicroAir NE-U22 (passively vibrating-mesh) nebulisers was investigated. The performance of the Pari nebuliser was independent of latex spheres particle size. For both Polygreen and Aeroneb Pro nebulizers, total aerosol output increased when the size of latex spheres increased, with highest fine particle fraction (FPF) values being recorded. However, following nebulisation of 1 or 4.5 μm suspensions with the Polygreen device, no particles were detected in the aerosols deposited in a two-stage impinger, suggesting that the aerosols generated from this device consisted mainly of the continuous phase while the dispersed microspheres were excluded and remained in the nebuliser. The Omron nebuliser efficiently nebulised the 1 μm latex spheres, with high output rate and no particle aggregation. However, this device functioned inefficiently when delivering 4.5 or 10 μm suspensions, which was attributed to the mild vibrations of its mesh and/or the blockage of the mesh apertures by the microspheres. The Aeroneb Pro fragmented latex spheres into smaller particles, but uncontrolled aggregation occurred upon nebulisation. This study has shown that the design of the nebuliser influenced the aerosol properties using latex spheres as model suspensions. Moreover, for the recently marketed mesh nebulisers, the performance of the Aeroneb Pro device was less dependent on particle size of the suspension compared with the Omron MicroAir nebuliser.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Albaath University, Homs, Syria.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Najlah
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nanotechnology and Bioengineering, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, England, UK; School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, England, UK.
authors.forename: Ishrat
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Parveen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nanotechnology and Bioengineering, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, England, UK; School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, England, UK.
authors.forename: Mohamed Albed
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Alhnan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nanotechnology and Bioengineering, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, England, UK; School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, England, UK.
authors.forename: Waqar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine BT52 1SA, Northern Ireland, UK.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faheem
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nanotechnology and Bioengineering, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, England, UK.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Phoenix
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nanotechnology and Bioengineering, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, England, UK; Department of Pharmaceutics, UCL School of Pharmacy, 29-39 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AX, England, UK.
authors.forename: Kevin M G
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nanotechnology and Bioengineering, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, England, UK; School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, England, UK. Electronic address: aelhissi@uclan.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Abdelbary
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elhissi
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols / Q000737:chemistry*; D004867:Equipment Design; D008863:Microspheres; D009330:Nebulizers and Vaporizers; D010316:Particle Size; D011137:Polystyrenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D013535:Suspensions; D014465:Ultrasonics; D014732:Vibration
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D011137:Polystyrenes; D013535:Suspensions; C024075:styrofoam
keywords: Aerosol; Latex sphere; Nebuliser; Two-stage impinger; Vibrating-mesh