Abstract
Zein, a major protein of corn, is rich in α-helical structure. It has an amphiphilic character and is capable of self-assembly. Zein can self-assemble into various mesostructures that may find applications in food, agricultural, and biomedical engineering. Understanding the mechanism of zein self-assembly at the nanoscale is important for further development of zein structures. In this work, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed nanosize zein stripes, rings, and discs containing a 0.35 nm periodicity, which is characteristic of β-sheet. TEM images were interpreted in terms of the transformation of original α-helices into β-sheet conformation after evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA). The presence of β-sheet was also detected by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Zein β-sheets self-assembled into stripes, which curled into rings. Rings formed discs and eventually spheres. The formation of zein nanostructures was believed to be the result of β-sheet orientation, alignment, and packing.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2429-2435 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Langmuir |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 7 2012 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Surfaces and Interfaces
- Spectroscopy
- Electrochemistry