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Wiley, Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, 24(53), p. 1727-1735, 2015

DOI: 10.1002/polb.23895

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Temperature-induced self-assembly of degalactosylated xyloglucan at low concentration

This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.

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Abstract

Xyloglucan is a natural polysaccharide having a cellulose-like backbone and hydroxyl groups-rich side-chains. In its native form the polymer is water-soluble and forms gel only in presence of selected co-solutes. When a given fraction of galactosyl residues are removed by enzymatic reaction, the polymer acquires the ability to form a gel in aqueous solution at physiological temperatures, a property of great interest for biomedical/pharmaceutical applications. This work presents data on the effect of a temperature increase on degalactosylated xyloglucan dispersed in water at concentration low enough not to run into macroscopic gelation. Results obtained over a wide interval of length scales show that, on increasing temperature, individual polymer chains and pre-existing clusters self-assemble into larger structures. The process implies a structural rearrangement over a few nanometers scale and an increase of dynamics homogeneity. The relation of these findings to coil-globule transition and phase separation is discussed.