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Assembling Xanthan Gum at the Air-Water Interface and Disentangling It with Ionic Liquids
Nancy Jaglan1, Gunjan Sharma1, Prashant Hitaishi1
1Department of Physics, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, NH-91, Tehsil Dadri, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh 201314, India.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|March 28, 2025
Summary
Ionic liquids (ILs) interact with xanthan gum, driving polymer self-assembly at interfaces. This interaction disentangles the polymer, altering its viscoelastic properties and revealing potential preservative applications for ILs.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biopolymer Chemistry
- Surface Science
Background:
- Xanthan gum is a versatile biopolymer utilized extensively in food and cosmetic industries.
- Ionic liquids (ILs) are emerging as potent antimicrobial agents, suitable for use as preservatives.
- Understanding the interaction between xanthan gum and ILs is crucial for developing new preservative systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the self-assembly of xanthan gum at the air-water interface in the presence of ionic liquids.
- To elucidate the structural and mechanical changes induced by ionic liquids on xanthan gum films and solutions.
- To explore the potential of ionic liquids as stabilizers or modifiers for xanthan gum.
Main Methods:
- Surface pressure-area isotherm measurements to study film formation at the air-water interface.
- In-plane dilation rheology to determine the viscoelastic properties (storage and loss moduli) of the xanthan gum film.
- Synchrotron-based X-ray reflectivity to analyze the electron density profile and film structure.
- Rheological measurements in aqueous solution to observe non-newtonian behavior.
Main Results:
- Electrostatic interactions drive xanthan gum to the air-water interface, forming a viscoelastic film.
- X-ray reflectivity data indicate that negatively charged xanthan gum side groups interact with positively charged ionic liquid headgroups.
- Ionic liquids induce polymer disentanglement, evidenced by changes in rheological properties, including a decrease in elastic plateau width and shear-thinning behavior in solution.
Conclusions:
- Ionic liquids effectively interact with xanthan gum at interfaces, leading to significant structural and mechanical modifications.
- The observed polymer disentanglement by ionic liquids suggests a mechanism for their preservative action on xanthan gum.
- This study provides fundamental insights into xanthan gum-ionic liquid interactions, paving the way for novel applications in material stabilization and preservation.
