Abstract
Cellulose-based hydrogels have gained considerable attention due to their tremendous potential for a wide variety of applications. Recently, we demonstrated the production of nanoribbon network hydrogels through a crystallization-driven self-assembly of cellulose oligomers synthesized by cellodextrin phosphorylase (CDP)-catalyzed reactions under macromolecular crowding conditions. However, the detailed mechanism underlying hydrogel production remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of solution viscosity on hydrogel production by using a highly branched polymer, Ficoll, which created macromolecular crowding conditions with relatively low solution viscosity. The hydrogels were produced through the enzymatic synthesis even in Ficoll solutions. However, greater concentrations of Ficoll were needed for hydrogel production compared with a previously investigated polymer that possessed relatively greater solution viscosity. These observations suggest that a certain level of solution viscosity for the enzymatic synthesis is an essential requirement for hydrogel production.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Prof J. Watanabe and Prof M. Tokita (Tokyo Tech) for solution viscosity measurements and the Division of Materials Analysis Ookayama (Tokyo Tech) for SEM observations and WAXD measurements. This study was partially supported by the Funding Program for Next Generation World-Leading Researchers (NEXT Program, GR022), the Grants-in-Aids for Scientific Research (26288056, 26620174 and 16K14075) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and the collaborative research with JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation.
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Hata, Y., Sawada, T. & Serizawa, T. Effect of solution viscosity on the production of nanoribbon network hydrogels composed of enzymatically synthesized cellulose oligomers under macromolecular crowding conditions. Polym J 49, 575–581 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/pj.2017.22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pj.2017.22
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