Temperature dependence of mean square displacement by IN13:: a comparison between trehalose and sucrose water mixtures

An analysis in terms of elastic scans of the neutron intensity in mixtures of homologues disaccharides (i.e., trehalose and sucrose)/D2O as a function of temperature has been carried out. The study provides an effective way for characterizing the dynamical behavior, furnishing a set of parameters characterizing the "flexibility" and the "rigidity" that justifies the better cryptobiotic effect of trehalose in respect to sucrose. Elastic scans make evident a non-Gaussian behavior of the intensity profiles which is more marked for sucrose, with a dynamical transition at T similar to 253 K and T similar to 250 K for trehalose/D2O and sucrose/D2O mixtures, respectively. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.