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Lookup NU author(s): Professor David XieORCiD
This is the authors' accepted manuscript of an article that has been published in its final definitive form by Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015.
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Using synchrotron X-ray scattering analyses and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, this work provides insights into the solvent effects of water : [C2mim][OAc] solutions on the disorganization of a starch semi-crystalline structure. When a certain ratio (10.2 : 1 mol/mol) of water : [C2mim][OAc] solution is used, the preferential hydrogen bonding between starch hydroxyls and [OAc]− anions results in the breakage of the hydrogen bonding network of starch and thus the disruption of starch lamellae. This greatly facilitates the disorganization of starch, which occurs much easier than in pure water. In contrast, when 90.8 : 1 (mol/mol) water : [C2mim][OAc] solution is used, the interactions between [OAc]− anions and water suppress the solvent effects on starch, thereby making the disorganization of starch less easy than in pure water. All these differences can be shown by changes in the lamellar and fractal structures: firstly, a preferable increase in the thickness of the crystalline lamellae rather than that of the amorphous lamellae causes an overall increase in the thickness of the semi-crystalline lamellae; then, the amorphous lamellae start to decrease probably due to the out-phasing of starch molecules from them; this forms a fractal gel on a larger scale (than the lamellae) which gradually decreases to a stable value as the temperature increases further. It is noteworthy that these changes occur at temperatures far below the transition temperature that is thermally detectable as is normally described. This hints to our future work that using certain aqueous ionic liquids for destructuration of the starch semi-crystalline structure is the key to realize green processes to obtain homogeneous amorphous materials.
Author(s): Zhang B, Chen L, Xie F, Li X, Truss RW, Halley PJ, Shamshina JL, Rogers RD, McNally T
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics
Year: 2015
Volume: 17
Issue: 21
Pages: 13860-13871
Print publication date: 07/06/2015
Online publication date: 10/04/2015
Acceptance date: 08/04/2015
Date deposited: 10/10/2023
ISSN (electronic): 1463-9084
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry
URL: https://doi.org/10.1039/C5CP01176K
DOI: 10.1039/C5CP01176K
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