What is the surfactant meaning?

What is the surfactant meaning?

Surfactant, also called surface-active agent, substance such as a detergent that, when added to a liquid, reduces its surface tension, thereby increasing its spreading and wetting properties. In the dyeing of textiles, surfactants help the dye penetrate the fabric evenly.

What does surfactant do in lungs?

Surfactant is an agent that decreases the surface tension between two media. The surface tension between gaseous-aqueous interphase in the lungs is decreased by the presence of a thin layer of fluid known as pulmonary surfactant. The pulmonary surfactant is produced by the alveolar type-II (AT-II) cells of the lungs.

What is the effect of surfactant?

The key property of lung surfactants is their dynamic surface tension response to film compression and expansion. The surfactant at the interface modulates the surface tension of the lung, lowering the normal air–water surface tension of approximately 70 mJ/m2 to extremely low values below 5 mJ/m2 [1].

What is a surfactant in layman’s terms?

In layman’s terms, a surfactant breaks down solids by loosening the bond between a liquid and a solid. In relation to your car, think of this as the foam that is cutting through stuck on dirt, making your cleaning job easier than if you just used water.

What is an example of a surfactant?

Sodium stearate is a good example of a surfactant. It is the most common surfactant in soap. Another common surfactant is 4-(5-dodecyl)benzenesulfonate. Other examples include docusate (dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate), alkyl ether phosphates, benzalkaonium chloride (BAC), and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS).

How do you add surfactant?

Surfactants can be applied in two ways:

1. Mixing the surfactant with the herbicide in the same container, and apply them simultaneously to the plant.
2. Or spraying the target plant with the wetting agent first, and then applying the herbicide.