Determining the morphological characteristics of plant cellulose microfibres is essential for understanding the molecular structure of plant cell walls. CD BioSciences provides a range of biophysically based analytical methods to help customers observe the size, shape and arrangement of cellulose fibrils, providing vital information for the conversion of cellulose into biofuels.

Background

In plants, cellulose molecules made up of glucose usually form fibrous structures and these nanoscale fibrils are embedded in polymermatrices made up of hemicellulose, pectin and sometimes lignin. The physical and chemical properties of cellulosic materials are highly complex and variable due to the degree of polymerization, the number of chains and the way in which they are combined. During plant cell growth and development, the dynamic arrangement and shape of the microfibril network play a key role in maintaining the mechanical properties and physiological function of the cell wall.

Current knowledge of the natural structure of cellulose is largely based on large cellulose crystals of non-plant origin. In plants, the size, shape and arrangement of cellulose microfibres remain poorly elucidated due to the small cross-sectional size of cellulose microfibres, structural heterogeneity, and the limited resolution of the characterization techniques used. Despite the formidable challenges of characterizing the morphology of cellulose microfibres, a variety of biophysically based analytical methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) have been widely used to characterize the physicochemical properties of cellulose microfibres.

Fig.1 Microfibril measurement. (Song, 2020)

Our Services

In order to help our customers to better understand the mechanical and physicochemical properties of cellulose and its derivatives, we offer various techniques such as spectroscopy, diffraction/scattering and microscopy to characterize the structural parameters of cellulose microfibres, including the lateral size, length, and shape of fibrils, as well as the spatial arrangement of the microfibres.

• Measurement of size and shape of cellulose microfibres.
  We offer a variety of methods to directly image the size and shape of microfibrils to reveal important structural information about cellulose.
• We offer traditional high-resolution imaging techniques such as electron microscopy to measure cellulose microfibrils in plants.
• We offer Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to visualize cellulose microfibrils at spatial resolution from the micron to sub-nanometre scale without disrupting the biological environment. Furthermore, we combine sample preparation, pre-selection of tips and systematic adjustment of imaging parameters to help our customers optimize image quality.
• We offer a variety of spectroscopic techniques to explore the cross-sectional shape of cellulose microcrystals and the number of chains in each microfibre, providing valuable insights for our customers to study microfibre aggregation and twinning.
• Measurement of cellulose microfibres angle.
  We measure cellulose microfibres angle in wood using techniques such as polarized light microscopy, X-ray diffraction and near IR spectroscopy to predict the mechanical properties of the cell wall and the quality of the wood.
• Measurement of the spatial organization of cellulose microfibres.
  We offer SEM, AFM, fluorescence microscopy, ultra-small angle (USAXS) and very small-angle X-ray scattering (VSAXS) as well as SFG-based techniques to provide valuable insights into the arrangement of cellulose microfibres in cell walls.

Our Advantages

• State-of-the-art facilities
• Fast and traceable testing services
• Most competitive price
• Fast turnaround time

With a state-of-the-art instrumentation platform and a PhD-level research team, CD BioSciences is well-positioned to provide you with the high-quality morphological characterization of cellulose microfibres. If you are interested in our services, please contact us for more information.

Reference

1. Song, B.; et al. Direct measurement of plant cellulose microfibril and bundles in native cell walls. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2020, 11: 479.

• Detection of Unit Cell Parameters of Cellulose
• Measurement of Cellulose Crystallinity Index
• Detection of Cellulose-Matrix Polysaccharides Interactions