Solution properties of starch nanoparticles in water and DMSO as studied by dynamic light scattering

Solution properties of starch nanoparticles dispersed in DMSO and in water were studied using dynamic light scattering. The particle size distribution had two main peaks in both solvents at all scattering angles studied. They were at around 40 and 300 nm, ascribed to isolated starch nanoparticles and their aggregates, respectively. From the excess scattering intensity by the 40-nm particles, the molecular weight of the nanoparticle was estimated as 2.2-2.6 x 10(6) g/mol. When the concentration was increased, another peak appeared at around 1 mu m. Raising the temperature from 25 to 65 degrees C did not change the distribution, indicating a purely entropic process in dynamic equilibrium of the aggregation. In DMSO, an oscillatory behavior was observed in the autocorrelation function at high temperatures. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.