Paramylon beads, web, and paper

Abstract

Paramylon is a storage polysaccharide produced by Euglena glacilis. Paramylon nanofibers form spontaneously through the self-assembly of single-strand paramylon. However, paramylon nanofibers are well-dispersed only in strongly alkaline solutions. Therefore, a method of fabricating a novel fiber network using paramylon was developed, without requiring the use of additives to prevent aggregation. Paramylon was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide at a high concentration, and this thick, viscous solution was added dropwise to ethanol. The resulting spheres (paramylon beads) were dispersed in water and homogenized. The aqueous dispersion contained a web-like structure comprising submicron fibers with widths of ∼500 nm (paramylon web). Gradual removal of water from the aqueous dispersions produced centimeter-sized translucent paper-like films (paramylon papers). The translucency suggested that the submicron fibers did not excessively aggregate but still maintained small interstices within the paper owing to the rigid web-like structure.