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What Factors Determine Hierarchical Structure of Microbial Cellulose – Interplay among Physics, Chemistry and Biology –
Author(s) -
Koizumi Satoshi,
Tomita Yoko,
Kondo Tetsuo,
Hashimoto Takeji
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
macromolecular symposia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.257
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-3900
pISSN - 1022-1360
DOI - 10.1002/masy.200950517
Subject(s) - cellulose , soft matter , bacterial cellulose , hierarchy , chemical physics , physics , amorphous solid , materials science , chemistry , statistical physics , crystallography , biochemistry , colloid , economics , market economy
A microbial cellulose film (pellicle), prepared by Acetorbactor xylinum , is a supramolecule system, absorbing a huge amount of water (99% by weight). To elucidate the affinity to water, we investigated the hierarchical structure in a pellicle by using ultra‐small‐angle and small‐angle neutron scattering, observing a wide range of length scales from nm to µm. We successfully determined mass fractal dimensions for the amorphous structure, which hierarchically varies local concentration fluctuations, bundle and network, appeared as the length scale increases. On a basis of these findings, we discuss to address a question what factors determine the hierarchy in the microbial cellulose. This is a new topic of soft matter science, regarded as reaction‐induced self‐assembly in a non‐equilibrium open system, therein soft matter physics, biochemistry and cell biology crucially interplay.