The effect of chemical functional groups on the octane sensitivity of fuel blends for spark-ignited and multimode engines

•Spark-ignited fuel blendstocks containing diverse chemical functional groups can be produced from renewable feedstocks.•The octane sensitivity of fuel blends containing blendstocks with previously untested chemical functional groups has been examined.•Several blendstocks were found to provide octane sensitivity improvements greater than an equivalent volume of ethanol.•Equivalent volumes of ethanol as a blendstock out-performed combinations of ethanol and other oxygenates tested.