Disentangling Pectin and Cellulose Nanostructures in Synthetic Plant Cell Walls with Small-Angle Neutron Scattering
templates, followed by characterization through microscopy and scattering techniques. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed increased pore sizes in hydrated d-BC/pectin shells compared to those of hydrated wood-derived cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-based shells from a previous study. Using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) with contrast variation, structural changes of individual wall components under varying salinities (0 or 10 mM NaCl) were analyzed. The presence of NaCl selectively influenced the pectin phase, while the d-BC network retained structural stability, highlighting its robustness as a wall component. This platform provides a useful tool for testing hypotheses and advancing our understanding of cell wall porosity and composition-dependent permeability.
Authors
- Marité Cárdenas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0392-3540)
- He Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4807-6608)
- Anran Mao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5790-2932)
- Francisco Vilaplana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3572-7798)
- Anna J. Svagan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4583-723X)
- Elliot P. Gilbert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6413-7813)
- Pramod Sivan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5297-2221)
- Agnieszka Ziółkowska (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4262-7106)
- Rob Russell
- Olena Kyzyma
Institutions
- Ikerbasque (ES)
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (AU)
- University of the Basque Country (ES)
- Malmö University (SE)
- Fundación Biofísica Bizkaia (ES)
- BioSurfaces (United States) (US)
- GlycoScientific (United States) (US)
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology (SE)
- Umeå University (SE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Biomacromolecules
- Published
- 2026-04-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.biomac.5c02791
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Cellulose Research Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
- Hezkuntza, Hizkuntza Politika Eta Kultura Saila, Eusko Jaurlaritza
- Human Frontier Science Program
- Stiftelsen för Strategisk Forskning
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science
- Vetenskapsrådet
- Röntgen-Ångström Cluster