Abstract
Gelatin is an important natural biological resource with a wide range of applications in the pharmaceutical, industrial and food industries. We investigated the single-chain behaviors of gelatin by atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), and found that gelatin exists as long chains by fitting with the M-FJC model. By comparing the single-chain elasticity in a nonpolar organic solvent (nonane) and DI water, it was surprising to find that there was almost no difference in the single-chain elasticity of gelatin in nonane and DI water. Considering the specificity of gelatin solubility and the solvent size effect of nonane molecules, when a single gelatin chain is pulled into loose nonane, dehydration does not occur due to strong binding water interactions. Gelatin chains can only interact with water molecules at high temperatures; therefore, no further interaction of single gelatin chains with water molecules occurred at the experimental temperature. This eventually led to almost no difference in the single-chain F–E curves under the two conditions. It is expected that our study will enable the deep exploration of the interaction between water molecules and gelatin and provide a theoretical basis and experimental foundation for the design of gelatin-based materials with more functionalities.
Highlights
Green development to promote the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature is an important development trend worldwide [1,2,3]
There are only weak van der Waals interactions between the polymer and solvent molecules, which can be ignored under the equipment noise level, making it a good alternative to vacuum for obtaining the single-chain inherent elasticity of gelatin [40]
The fitting of the modified freely joint-chain (M-FJC) model showed that the theoretical curve could describe the experimental results well, proving that gelatin exists in the form of long chains
Summary
Green development to promote the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature is an important development trend worldwide [1,2,3]. In the field of physical chemistry, the single-chain mechanical behavior of polymers in different environments can be obtained by SMFS to explore the interactions between single polymer chains and the surrounding environment [32,33,34,35,36,37]. These studies have provided a significant theoretical basis for exploring the patterns of polymers at the microscopic level and, can be used for the study of degradable polymer systems. By comparing the single-chain elasticity of gelatin nonpolar organic solvents and DI water, the interaction between water molecules and gelatin is explored, which is expected to provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the design of gelatin-based materials with more functionalities
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
